Retired army general Petr Pavel wins election to become Czech president

Petr Pavel (AP)

Petr Pavel, a retired army general, decisively defeated populist billionaire Andrej Babis in a run-off vote on Saturday to become the Czech Republic’s new president.

Mr Pavel, 61, will succeed controversy-courting Milos Zeman in the largely ceremonial but prestigious post. His election is expected to cement the country’s Western orientation following Zeman’s decade in office.