Czech president interrupts vacation and arrives by charter jet to vote, cost estimated at 30–45,000 euros

Czech President Petr Pavel interrupted his private vacation in Morocco, flew by charter to the Czech Republic to vote in local elections, and then returned to Casablanca; his office announced that he would personally bear the costs, while Czech media estimate that this will cost between 30,000 and 45,000 euros.

Pavel posted a message on social media in which he admits his mistake and urges voters to exercise their right to vote: “Admitting a mistake is not easy, but if a politician values people’s trust, he must be able to do it. I know what responsibility is and that trust is hard to gain and quickly lost. Mistakes have a price and this is a lesson for me,” accompanied by a photo of him casting his ballot in the village of Černouček near Prague.

The decision to go on a private vacation to Morocco during the local and supplementary elections for a third of the Senate sparked sharp criticism from the opposition and among citizens, the media recall. According to Czech media, Pavel’s return by private jet from the company Sarah Airways will cost an estimated 30,000 to 45,000 euros.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Czech Republic diplomatically informed Morocco of the president’s brief return, and data from the Flightradar website showed the private jet’s flight from Prague to Casablanca. Pavel was reportedly on private vacation from October 2 and had previously insisted that he had no intention of interrupting his vacation, while after his return he emphasized that this was a “planning mistake.”