Presidential candidates react to Babiš's acquittal

The former prime minister and presidential candidate Andrej Babiš praised the independence of the judiciary after being acquitted of fraud in the Stork's Nest case at the Prague Municipal Court on Monday. He said the verdict had confirmed what he had been saying from the beginning - that he did not do anything illegal. Mr. Babiš is one of the frontrunners in this weekend's presidential elections.

Petr Pavel, another of the presidential election favourites, reacted to the ruling on Twitter, calling on those angered by the court's decision to keep a cool head and to express their displeasure by voting against Babiš in this weekend's elections rather than by criticizing the judiciary.

Danuša Nerudová, another of the election frontrunners, said the court's decision needs to be respected, but that it doesn't change the fact that Babiš has been using politics to promote his own business interests for a long time and is contributing to the subversion of democracy.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala echoed these sentiments in a statement to the Czech News Agency, saying that the real political battles in a democracy take place in elections, not in courtrooms, and calling on citizens to use their vote on Friday and Saturday.