Petr Pavel left for Morocco and will miss the municipal…

Petr Pavel left for Morocco and will miss the municipal elections

08.10.2026 17:00 HotInfo

President Petr Pavel has been in Morocco since October 2, where he traveled for a motorcycle rally. He is to remain abroad until October 19 and will therefore not take part in the municipal and senate elections. He will not be able to cast his vote in his home village of Černouček in the Litoměřice region, even though he usually votes there. idnes.cz ↗

Pavel flew to Morocco on a private jet. From publicly available information, it is not yet clear who owned the plane or who paid for the trip. The president's absence has sparked criticism from part of the public and commentators, who point to the symbolic importance of the head of state's participation in elections. Others note that voting is a right, not an obligation, and that the president is therefore not breaking the law. info.cz ↗

The criticism concerns primarily the timing of the private trip and the way the president's absence was explained. First Lady Eva Pavlová and the president's team have also joined the public debate. According to the published information, Pavel will not return to office until after the elections are over. reflex.cz ↗

The case has recalled that even Andrej Babiš did not always prioritize election participation over vacation in the past. At the same time, information emerged during the final stretch of this year's campaign about his political activity from his sickbed. These events have thus drawn attention to the role of political leaders during elections and to the expectations the public associates with their offices. novinky.cz ↗