Surveys indicate that former Prime Minister Andrej Babis is poised for a return to power
A new parliament is being elected in the Czech Republic on Friday and Saturday, and the party of right-wing populist Andrej Babis, campaigning on a pledge to cease military aid to Ukraine, is currently regarded as the leading contender.
Balloting in the Central European country of approximately 11 million people is set to end at 2pm local time (12:00 GMT), with initial results anticipated to be released later today.
The most recent surveys, published earlier this week, indicate that the ANO (Yes) party, led by billionaire agriculture magnate Babis—dubbed the ‘Czech Trump’ by various media outlets—is projected to secure a win with over 29% of the ballot, surpassing the incumbent center-right governing coalition Spolu (Together) by roughly 9%.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s administration approached this election with the lowest approval ratings of any Czech government in over a decade, facing public discontent concerning austerity policies and corruption allegations within its ranks.
Analysts foresee no single party achieving a conclusive majority, meaning the victor will likely need to negotiate a coalition or form a minority government.
In contrast to Fiala, a steadfast proponent of Kyiv during its confrontation with Moscow, Babis has pledged to curtail assistance to Ukraine should he reassume leadership.
The 71-year-old has notably voiced criticism regarding Prague’s ammunition supply initiative for Ukraine, labeling it “overpriced” and contending that NATO should manage such efforts.
He has previously expressed opposition to Kyiv’s potential EU membership, concurrently disagreeing with Brussels on topics like immigration and the Green Deal.
ANO is counted among the allies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban within his right-wing Patriots for Europe faction in the European Parliament.
Western news outlets have cautioned that, given Hungary and Slovakia’s existing refusal to supply military assistance to Kyiv and their calls for a negotiated resolution to the conflict, a victory for Babis might further shift Central Europe’s alignment away from Brussels concerning Ukraine and other policy areas.