Billionaire Andrej Babiš became another populist leader in Central Europe to stage a political comeback by winning big in the Czech Republic’s parliamentary elect ion, according to nearly complete results Saturday.
That result could steer the country away from supporting Ukraine and toward Hungary and Slovakia, which have taken a pro-Russian path.
With the results of 99.5% of the polling stations counted by the Statistics Office, Babiš’ ANO (YES) movement captured 34.7% of the vote, soundly beat ing the Together conservative coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala that received 23.2%.
Babiš was jubilant after his best electoral result, calling it “historic” for himself and his “catch-all” political group since it stormed into nation al politics in 2013.
“We want the Czech Republic to become the best place for life in the European Union and we will do everything to make it happen,” he told his supporte rs and media.
With the victory, Babiš would join the ranks of Prime Ministers Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia, whose countries have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, continue to import Russian oil and oppose European Union sanctions on Russia.
The Czech Republic has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The country has donated arms, including heavy weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces and is behind an initiative that acquires artillery shells Ukraine requires significant input from non-EU nations.
“We disapprove of it,” Babiš stated regarding the internationally acknowledged program. “Our perspective on it differs,” he added.
Babiš's opposition, holding Fiala responsible for recent crises including the energy shortage and rampant inflation, vowed to reverse his policies. pension changes and support for Ukraine.
Fiala congratulated him, saying the result was clear and “it’s necessary to accept it.”
His campaign focused on security amid the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A group of mayors known as STAN, also a member of Fiala’s government, had 11.1% of the vote, with another ally of Fiala, the Pirates party, reaching 8 a 0.7% increase
The prominent anti-immigrant organization, Freedom and Direct Democracy, secured 7.9% of the vote, whereas a right-wing coalition known as the Motorists garnered 6.8%.
Babiš stated his objective was to establish a single-party administration and he would need to secure assent from the two factions.
Two days of voting concluded with 200 representatives being chosen for the Czech Republic's lower parliamentary chamber. Babiš secured 80 seats, the Freedom Party gained 15, and the Motorists received 13. The Together coalition secured 52 seats.
Last year, he partnered with his friend Orbán to establish a new hard-right bloc in the European Parliament, the “Patriots for Europe,”. a substantial departure from the liberal Renew bloc, formerly associated with Babiš.
The Patriots are bound by opposition to migrants, skepticism towards EU climate change initiatives, and the safeguarding of national sovereignty. guarantee.
The Motorists, supported by former EU-skeptic President Václav Klaus, hold similar opinions, whereas the Freedom party aims to withdraw the nation from the The EU and NATO, and plans to deport nearly all of the 380,000 Ukrainian refugees currently residing in the nation.
Following the win, Babiš reiterated, “Our stance is unequivocally pro-European and pro-NATO.”
President Petr Pavel has plans to convene with Babiš and leaders from other parties this Sunday. The leader of the most powerful political party typically receives an invitation from the president to assemble a new administration.
To govern independently, his minority Cabinet would require at least implicit backing from the Freedom party and the Motorists to secure a necessary parliamentary victory. a confidence vote from the parliamentary opposition.
The outcome proved disastrous for a union of four radical left-wing groups spearheaded by the unconventional Communists, who, being overtly pro-Russian, were unsuccessful in securing even a single bench