Czech populist leader Andrej Babiš is poised to return to power after his ANO party dominated Czechia’s elections on 3 and 4 October. ANO captured roughly 35% of the vote and has led a shift in the country’s political direction.
With 99.5% of ballots counted, ANO stands at 34.7%, ahead of the incumbent conservative Spolu coalition, on 23.2%. Another governing centre-right party, STAN, secured 11.2%. The liberal Pirates won 8.9%, the far-right SPD 7.8%, and Motorists 6.8% – the last party to make it into the Czech parliament.
The results make clear that the next government will be formed around Andrej Babiš, a Czech billionaire and owner of agro-chemical giant Agrofert. He already served as prime minister in 2017-2021.
Babiš’s comeback places a leader aligned with Patriots for Europe at the helm, signalling a markedly eurosceptic stance. However, during his campaign Babiš emphasised that he does not question Czech membership in either the EU or NATO and would not allow a referendum on this agenda.
In his victory remarks, Babiš struck a confident tone about the country’s place in Europe. “We want the Czech Republic to be the best place to live in the EU. We will do everything for that,” he said, adding that the result is a mandate for ANO’s programme and leadership. “We convinced people that only ANO has a clear vision of the future of our country,” he said.
Government-formation talks begin immediately. Babiš will meet President Petr Pavel tomorrow to discuss the path to a new cabinet. He ruled out negotiations with parties in the outgoing government — Spolu, STAN or the Pirates — and set out a clear plan for talks among parties on the right.
“We will definitely negotiate with SPD and the Motorists,” he said, adding that he will seek a single-party government backed by these parties.
He also previewed the first steps that a future administration would take. “At the first cabinet meeting we will reject the migration pact, and we will reject ETS2,” he said, signalling early confrontations over EU files while keeping the country’s EU and NATO memberships non-negotiable.
“Europe is suffering. Europe is not competent,” Babiš said at a post-victory press conference.
For the far-right SPD, the result is a disappointment after polls suggested a stronger performance. It is also a major setback for Stačilo!, the far-left anti-establishment coalition led by MEP Kateřina Konečná, which despite favourable surveys failed to enter the Czech parliament.
Babiš underscored that Stačilo! did not enter parliament thanks to him and others. “For me this is the peak of my political career. I didn’t believe it, I hoped for 30%, but this is an absolute blast,” he said.
With almost 35%, ANO will likely take 80 seats in the new 200-member Czech Parliament.
(ow)
