The outcome represented a personal vindication for the pro-western Pavel, who was forced to deny false eve-of-poll reports of his own death announced on a counterfeit version of his campaign website, sparking allegations of dirty tricks and a police investigation.

I'm shocked that a pro-Russian candidate would engage is such behavior!

It also amounted to a humiliating rebuff for Slovak-born Babiš, 68, a billionaire tycoon who stood accused of running a shameless, scorched-earth campaign after portraying Pavel as a warmonger for his support of military aid to Ukraine. At one point, Babiš even appeared to question Nato's collective security arrangements by saying he would never send Czech troops to Poland, a fellow member of the military alliance, if it was attacked by Russia.

Yep, this guy should just move to Moscow already.

He also tried to capitalise on Pavel's past membership of the then ruling Communist party before it was toppled in the 1989 Velvet Revolution - brazenly overlooking his own previous role, confirmed by a court ruling, as an informer for the communist-era secret police and his backing from the current Czech communists.

Thank goodness a scumbag like this would never get anywhere in US politics with these tactics!

/GQP here we come!