Prague – Right-wing populist Andrej Babis and his ANO party emerged as the strongest force in the Czech Republic’s parliamentary election, securing 34.6% of the vote – an increase of almost 7.5 percentage points since 2021 – and 80 of the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, according to official data from the Czech Statistics Authority. Despite lacking a majority, Babis announced his intention to form a single-party minority government, seeking toleration agreements with the “motorists” party and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) led by Tomio Okamura.
President Petr Pavel has begun consultations with party leaders regarding government formation, beginning with Babis at Prague Castle. During the campaign, Babis pledged to halt arms deliveries to Ukraine, reduce taxes, and lower energy costs, while opposing the EU’s asylum and migration pact and Green Deal.
The Spolu alliance, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, saw its support fall to 23.3% (down from 27.8% in 2021), while the Mayors party received 11.2% of the vote.
ANO has shifted its alignment within the European Parliament, moving from the Renew Europe group to the right-wing populist and extremist “Patriots for Europe” grouping, alongside parties like Hungary’s Fidesz and France’s RN. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hailed the result as a “big step” for the Czech Republic. Babis also congratulated Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on his recent election victory.
Potential coalition partners, such as the SPD (7.8% of the vote), have demands that may pose challenges, including calls for referendums on EU and NATO membership – which Babis rejects – and the return of Ukrainian refugees. The motorists party seeks a rollback of the 2035 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles.
