Populist Billionaire Andrej Babiš’s Party Wins Czech Republic Election, Official Results Show
PRAGUE – October 5, 2024 - andrej Babiš, a populist billionaire with a pro-Russian slant, has led his ANO party to victory in the Czech Republic’s parliamentary election, official results announced today reveal. ANO secured 80 seats in the 200-seat lower house of parliament.
The two-day election saw a significant showing from right-wing and anti-migrant parties. The Freedom and Direct Democracy party gained 15 seats, while the motorists party won 13. The incumbent Together coalition, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, secured 52 seats.
Babiš’s campaign focused on domestic issues, contrasting with Fiala’s emphasis on security amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The opposition, led by Babiš, criticized Fiala’s handling of the energy crisis and inflation, vowing to reverse his pension reform and reduce aid to Ukraine.
Despite the victory, forming a government will be challenging for Babiš.He has stated his aim is to form a one-party government and will require the tolerance of the Freedom party and the motorists to pass a mandatory parliamentary confidence vote.
The Freedom party advocates for leaving both the EU and NATO and plans to expel the majority of the approximately 380,000 Ukrainian refugees currently in the country. The Motorists,backed by former EU-skeptic President Václav Klaus,share similar views.
Babiš recently aligned himself with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, forming the “Patriots for Europe” alliance in the European Parliament – a shift from his previous affiliation with the liberal Renew group. The Patriots are united by anti-migrant rhetoric, skepticism towards EU climate policies, and a focus on national sovereignty.
Despite these alliances, Babiš declared after the victory, “We’re clearly pro-european and pro-NATO.”
President Petr Pavel is scheduled to meet with Babiš and other party leaders on Sunday to discuss potential government formation. Traditionally, the leader of the strongest political force is given the first opportunity to form a new government.
A coalition of four far-left parties, including the openly pro-Russian Communists, failed to win any seats in the election.
STAN, a member of Fiala’s government, received 11.1% of the vote, and the Pirates party secured 8.7%.
