'Trumpist' billionaire Andrej Babis wins Czech parliamentary election
Populist, billionaire and self-proclaimed "Trumpist" Andrej Babis won the Czech parliamentary election Saturday in a political comeback that put the country on a course away from supporting Ukraine and toward Hungary and Slovakia, which have taken a pro-Russian path.
Issued on: 04/10/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Ian WILLOUGHBY
01:42
The party of billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis topped the Czech parliamentary election on Saturday with 99 percent of the vote counted, according to official results.
His ANO (Yes) party, campaigning on pledges of welfare and halting military aid to Ukraine, scored 34.7 percent of the vote in country of 10.9 million people.
The pro-Western coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala followed suit with 23.2 percent of the vote, ahead of its coalition partner STAN with 11.2 percent.
A total of six parties were elected, including the Pirate Party with 8.9 percent, the far-right opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) with 7.8 percent and right-wing newcomers, the Motorists, with 6.8 percent.
A triumphant Babis, a self-proclaimed "Trumpist", was all smiles and hailed the "historic result" as "the absolute peak" of his political career.
"We will definitely lead talks with the SPD and the Motorists and seek a single-party government led by ANO," Babis said.
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He also said the government would review a Czech-led international drive to supply artillery shells to Ukraine, launched by Fiala's government, and "discuss it with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky" if necessary.
"We are clearly pro-European and pro-NATO," he added to dispel fears he might draw the Czech Republic closer to EU mavericks Hungary and Slovakia, which have refused military aid to Ukraine and oppose sanctions on Russia.
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'Key player'
In the European Parliament, ANO is part of the far-right Patriots for Europe bloc, which Babis himself co-founded with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Orban was quick to congratulate Babis on X: "Truth has prevailed!" he wrote. "A big step for the Czech Republic, good news for Europe. Congratulations, Andrej!"
Fiala's government has provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
But it upset voters with a failure to tame taxes and inflation and kickstart affordable housing construction, while some also blamed it for ignoring problems at home and focusing on Ukraine.
"I congratulate the election winner, which is Andrej Babis," Fiala said, rejecting any efforts to rebuild the current governing coalition.
Turnout was high at almost 69 percent.
The SPD is promoting a referendum on the Czech Republic leaving the European Union, something that Babis has vehemently rejected.
Its leader, Tokyo-born lawmaker Tomio Okamura, said he would meet Babis later on Saturday.
"What lies ahead for us is probably a government led by Andrej Babis, but the question is, who he will join forces with?" Otto Eibl, an analyst at Masaryk University in the second Czech city of Brno, told AFP.
"I think the SPD... will be the key player. We'll see if it's happy with staying outside the government while wielding some influence on its policy," Eibl added.
'Pragmatic businessman'
Czech President Petr Pavel, who will tap the next premier under the constitution, said he would start talks with the elected party heads on Sunday.
Pavel met Babis earlier this week to discuss the tycoon's conflict of interest as a businessman and politician, and the fact that Babis is facing trial over EU subsidy fraud worth over $2 million.
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Babis is charged with taking his farm south of Prague out of his sprawling Agrofert food and chemicals holding in 2007 to make it eligible for an EU subsidy for small companies.
"On the conflict of interest, I have promised Mr President to meet him and show him a solution that will be in line with Czech and European laws," said Babis.
Describing himself as a "peacemonger" calling for a truce in Ukraine, Babis has vowed a "Czechs first" approach, echoing US President Donald Trump.
When he was prime minister from 2017 to 2021, Babis was critical of some EU policies and is on good terms with Orban and Slovakia's Robert Fico, who have maintained ties with Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine.
Charles University analyst Josef Mlejnek told AFP he did not expect "a fundamental change" in Czech foreign policy under Babis, who has business interests in western Europe.
"Babis is a pragmatic businessman and the only thing he cares about is being prime minister," he added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
Czech Winner Babis Bids To Reassure West, But May Find Coalition Complications – Analysis
Czech Republic's Andrej Babiš. Photo Credit: Andrej Babiš, X
By RFE RL
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.
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