PRAGUE –- Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, after scoring a dramatic political comeback in the October 4 parliamentary elections, looked to reassure the West over his commitment to the EU and NATO, but he may be forced to partner with even-more Eurosceptic partners to form a government.
“We want to save Europe…and we are clearly pro-European and pro-NATO,” Babis told reporters amid concerns he could push the Czech Republic closer Russia — following the path of EU mavericks Hungary and Slovakia — and oppose further military aid to Ukraine.
Prague has acted as a major supporter of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of 2022 and has taken in thousands of war refugees, actions Babis has often vocally opposed.
With nearly all votes counted, results showed Babis, a billionaire who leads the populist ANO party, as the clear winner with nearly 34.6 percent. Turnout was 68.9 percent, the highest in the country since 1996.
But, with an estimated 81 seats in the 200-member parliament, he would not have a majority, meaning potentially complex efforts to find coalition partners.
Many analysts have said coalition talks may include the far-right SPD, which has called for the Czech Republic to withdraw from both the EU and NATO. It received 7.6 percent of the vote, likely to give it about 15 seats.
The Motorists, a small opposition party that has voiced opposition to many EU policies, also managed to pass the threshold and enter parliament for the first time. It received 6.8 percent, with an estimated 13 seats.
Current Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s center-right, pro-West Together grouping finished second with 23.3 percent (52 seats), while its coalition partner STAN had 11.2 percent (22 seats), and the liberal Pirates party had nearly 9 percent (18 seats).
“If the government is dependent on the position or on the support of the SPD, it’s going to be very complicated,” Jan Machacek, a foreign policy adviser to Czech President Petr Pavel, told RFE/RL as results came in.
Machacek added that this would create “a very dangerous situation for foreign policy, because the SPD is extremist, sharply anti-Ukraine [and] EU — a pro-Russian party.”
Celebrating what he called a “historic result,” Babis said he would seek to form a single-party minority government and would hold talks with the SPD and Motorists on securing their support for it.
The 71-year-old Babis has often employed strong Euroskeptic rhetoric but has regularly ruled out withdrawing from the EU or NATO.
He co-founded the far-right Patriots for Europe bloc in the European Parliament with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“Truth has prevailed!” Orban wrote on X following the election. “Good news for Europe.”
Opposition To Ukraine Ammunition Initiative
While not directly opposing further assistance to Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion, Babis again said he was not in favor of Prague’s continuing leadership of a 2024 initiative to provide ammunition for Ukraine.
“If there is a war, no one should make money because of the war. It [the initiative] should be organized by NATO,” he told reporters.
“We are helping Ukraine through the EU; the EU is helping Ukraine, and it is in the European budget. We are paying a lot of money to the European budget, and this is the way we will continue to help,” he said.
As many as 16 European countries, led by the Czech Republic, in 2024 set up the ad hoc coalition to buy artillery rounds for Ukraine. The aim was to supply as many as 800,000 large-caliber shells to boost the Ukrainian war effort.
Despite claims that the initiative has been a success, it faces fierce criticism from the Czech opposition and Ukrainian NGOs over alleged profiteering, political favoritism, poor quality, and supply delays.
Babis also repeated his objections to Ukraine’s immediate membership in the EU.
“We are not prepared for EU [membership]. We have to end the war first. Of course we can cooperate with Ukraine, but we are not ready for the EU,” Babis said.
President To Tap Next Prime Minister
Under the constitution, Pavel will tap the next prime minister and said he would start talks with party leaders on October 5.
Pavel, who defeated Babis in a 2023 presidential run-off election, met the billionaire ANO leader this week to discuss conflicts of interest regarding his roles as a politician and businessman.
“I have promised Mr. President to meet him and show him a solution that will be in line with Czech and European laws,” Babis said.
Along with charges of conflicts of interest, Babis — one of the country’s richest people, with considerable stakes in agribusiness and media — has been dogged by legal disputes and accusations of EU subsidy fraud.
