Czech presidential candidates seek calmer tone before run-off vote

FILE PHOTO: Czech presidential candidate Petr Pavel attends the last radio debate before the country's direct presidential election in Prague, Czech Republic, January 13, 2023. REUTERS/David W Cerny

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech presidential frontrunner Petr Pavel urged his rival, ex-premier Andrej Babis, on Tuesday to stop fanning war fears while Babis said he would halt rallies due to threats against him and his family ahead of a run-off election this weekend.

After an increasingly testy home stretch of the campaign, Czechs head to the polls on Jan. 27-28 to choose between the two candidates vying to replace Milos Zeman, who has been a divisive figure as president for the past decade.