Czech Republic Populist Babis celebrates comeback - and wants to govern alone
Right-wing populist and billionaire Andrej Babis wants to govern alone with his ANO party following his triumphant victory in the Czech parliamentary elections. "We will strive for a unicolored government," said the former head of government. Babis is likely to be a difficult partner for Europe: During the election campaign, he promised a stop to arms deliveries to Ukraine, the "destruction" of the so-called Green Deal - i.e. the program for a climate-neutral EU - and an end to the European migration and asylum package.
05.10.2025, 14:33
SDA
Babis is considered a friend of the EU-critical Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban and openly admires US President Donald Trump. His opposition movement ANO became the strongest force with just over 34.5 percent of the vote, according to the final results of the electoral commission on Sunday. He is now aiming for a minority government.
On the evening of the election, the 71-year-old began talks about tolerating two parties on the right of the political spectrum, the so-called Motorists and Tomio Okamura's Freedom and Direct Democracy.
First consultations with the president
President Petr Pavel received Babis at Prague Castle on Sunday for initial talks. However, the ex-Nato general has not yet given Babis the mandate to govern. The ANO will in future have 80 of the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
The center-right alliance Spolu (Together) of the liberal-conservative head of government Petr Fiala plummeted to 23.4 percent of the vote (2021: 27.8). The mayoral party, which had previously been in government, received 11.2 percent and the opposition Pirates just under nine percent. At 69%, the turnout was higher than in the 2021 parliamentary elections.
Shell initiative for Ukraine at risk of ending
Babis has repeatedly called for a stop to arms deliveries to Ukraine. This would mean the end of a successful Czech grenade initiative. Around 3.5 million rounds of large-caliber ammunition have already been delivered to Kiev since the project was launched a year and a half ago. Germany is also one of the donors.
The governing parties had focused their election campaign on the threats posed by Russia. But Babis accused them of scaremongering. "I don't know from which direction the Russian tanks should come," he said.
Congratulations from Budapest and Bratislava
At EU level, the ANO has switched from the liberal Renew Europe group to the right-wing populist to far-right Patriots for Europe. There, it sits alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's Fidesz, the FPÖ from Austria and Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National (RN) from France.
"The truth has won", Orban wrote on X and spoke of a "big step" for the Czech Republic. Slovakian head of government Robert Fico, who critics accuse of being too pro-Russia, congratulated Babis on his election victory by telephone.
Small parties as majority procurers
It remains to be seen what concessions Babis will have to make to the potential kingmakers in order to tolerate his future government. Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) is not only demanding the possibility of a referendum on leaving the EU and Nato, which Babis rejects, but also the repatriation of more than 383,000 Ukrainian refugees. The party received around 7.8 percent of the vote.
The Motorists are calling for a reversal of the ban on combustion engines from 2035, with the new Motorists Party achieving 6.8 percent.
Babis promised lower taxes
According to observers, many voters were concerned about their own wallets. Although the annual inflation rate recently stood at 2.5 percent, it had reached double digits by 2023. The ANO promised lower taxes and cheaper energy. "Andrej Babis will not find it at all easy to fulfill his promises, and he will need a lot of money to do so," wrote the newspaper "Pravo" in a commentary.
But at the billionaire's campaign headquarters, there was first a bit of a beer tent atmosphere: "Today we're going to celebrate," said Babis. He then danced and sang to the sounds of the Italian pop song "Sarà perché ti amo" ("That's because I love you").
