Because of a private trip abroad, President Petr Pavel will not vote in the election to the municipal council of Černouček in the Litoměřice area on 9 and 10 October 2026; the Office of the President of the Republic said he regrets the planning mistake.
On 2 October 2026 the communications department of the Office of the President of the Republic announced on its website that President Petr Pavel will not take part in the vote in the election to the municipal council of Černouček in the Litoměřice area because of a stay abroad. It added that the president regrets the planning mistake. The municipal elections and the first round of the Senate elections take place on 9 and 10 October 2026; in Pavel's Senate constituency there is no Senate election this year.[1][2]
Trip abroad
According to the Castle, it is a private trip outside the member states of the European Union, and the Office of the President of the Republic does not disclose the specific places. The president remains in contact with the office and is to continue his working schedule on Monday 19 October by receiving ambassadors.[1][2]
Racing driver Martin Prokop wrote on Facebook that Pavel visited the Rallye du Maroc, which took place from 28 September to 3 October, and published a joint photograph. According to Deník N, the president went on a motorcycle holiday; the paper cites an unnamed senior state source.[1][2]
Election date and context
The president formally set the date of the elections in June 2026. Unlike in previous elections, he had no choice, because under an amendment local and regional elections are always held on Friday and Saturday of the first full week of October.[1][2]
According to the Czech News Agency, the only president so far who has not taken part in some kind of election is Miloš Zeman, in the second round of the Senate elections in October 2020; he explained his decision by saying that the candidate he preferred had not advanced in his constituency.[1] Political scientist Jan Kubáček told the Czech News Agency that he does not consider the president's absence from municipal elections fatal, but in his view it is somewhat unfortunate, because heads of state since the time of Tomáš Masaryk have prided themselves on going to the polls and urging others to do so.[1]
In 2026 Pavel was abroad privately for three working days in February and at the turn of January and February; in both cases the Castle said only that he had gone to an EU member state. He spent his summer holiday in Czechia.[1][2]
Related articles: Litoměřice, Petr Pavel, Černouček
Chronology
- — President Petr Pavel will not take part in the vote in the municipal council elections in Černouček in the Litoměřice area because he will be abroad; the presidential office said he regrets the planning mistake. ČTK / České noviny Echo24
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 2 October 2026
- Echo24 — 3 October 2026