Presidential candidate Petr Pavel recalled his parents, growing up and moments of his personal life in a special Interview

During the last days before the presidential elections, both candidates are trying to convince voters in different ways that they will be the best head of the Czech state. Therefore, Czech Television invited both finalists to the Interview special for an unconventional, personal interview. They could also choose the filming location. Candidate Andrej Babiš refused the invitation, the staff went to meet Petr Pavlo in the village of Černouček, where he lives, and then went to Mount Říp.

During the ascent, Pavel remembered, among other things, his adolescence and his father, who, like him, served in the army. According to his words, after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the current candidate, despite being a member of the Communist Party, felt hope for what was to come. But he felt “more than nostalgia, sadness for a wasted life” from his father’s expressions and attitudes.

He refers to the “burden of responsibility that lurks behind the office” as a stronger emotion during the current election, and he denies that he was emotional during the campaign. He also described the decision to run for office as the greatest feeling of heroism in his civilian life.

He pointed out that he does not consider himself a religious person, even though he is baptized. “I believe in humanity’s ability to deal with problems,” he defines his concept of faith in the interview. He also appreciated the number of people who came to support him at the rallies before the second round of the election, because as an “overtrained introvert” he draws energy from such meetings.

“Soldiers also worry about their lives in times of war, but maybe they can work better with fear,” he stated during his reminiscences of his work in the war in Yugoslavia, adding that, according to him, the current army has fundamentally changed over the past decade and their derogatory designation as ” “green brains” or “lampas” are clichés that, according to him, no longer reflect their behavior.