Pavel returns from vacation to vote, admits planned absence was a mistake

President Petr Pavel returned to Czechia from a foreign vacation Friday to vote in municipal elections, reversing his previously announced decision to miss the ballot and acknowledging a mistake in judgment.

Pavel voted shortly before 3 p.m. in Černouček, a village in the Litoměřice district. His planned absence had drawn criticism from the public and politicians from both governing and opposition parties.

Speaking to reporters, the president said he should set an example and encourage people to participate. He will now return to his vacation, he said.

Pavel described the decision to schedule his holiday over the election weekend as an error he had been able to correct.

“We all make mistakes, including presidents, and I now consider the matter closed,” he told reporters. He added that he was glad to have voted and shown citizens that they should do the same.

In a statement on X, Pavel said a planning mistake could fortunately be remedied by changing the plan. Acknowledging an error was difficult, he wrote, but necessary for a politician who valued public trust.

He said the elections offered people a chance to influence who makes decisions about life in their municipalities and the strength and quality of the Senate.

Pavel nevertheless described the criticism of his planned absence as partly justified and partly “a little hysterical.” He told reporters he had been troubled by the lack of a way to vote from his holiday destination. A solution was eventually found, although arranging the return was technically demanding, he said.

The president left for his vacation Oct. 2. Deník N reported that he had departed on a motorcycle holiday abroad. His office initially confirmed he would not vote in Černouček because he would be outside the country.

Pavel began the trip at a rally in Morocco, where Czech racing driver Martin Prokop shared a photograph with him. The president is scheduled to resume his official program Oct. 19 by receiving ambassadors.

Although Pavel formally set the election dates in June, he did not have discretion over the weekend. Constitutional and electoral changes require municipal and regional elections to take place on the Friday and Saturday of October’s first full week.

Municipal elections and the first round of voting for one-third of the Senate continue through Saturday. Polling stations remain open until 10 p.m. Friday and reopen from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 10.