Populist billionaire Babis' ANO Party secures victory in Czech elections
(MENAFN) Populist billionaire Andrej Babis’ ANO Party has emerged victorious in the Czech parliamentary elections, capturing nearly 35.5% of the vote as around 94% of ballots were counted, according to reports.
The current ruling Spolu coalition came in second with approximately 22.5%, while the Stan movement finished third with roughly 11%. In the 2021 elections, the Spolu coalition narrowly defeated ANO by less than one percentage point and later formed a government under Petr Fiala.
The Pirates received about 8.5% of the vote, followed by the SPD with just under 8%, and the Motorists party with slightly below 7%. The Stacilo! movement and the Oath party fell short of the 5% threshold required for entry into the lower house, garnering 4.2% and 1.1% respectively.
The State Election Commission is expected to review the full results on Monday, with official publication likely on Tuesday. Citizens will have the opportunity to contest the outcome at the Supreme Administrative Court starting Wednesday.
Following the election, ANO Party Deputy Chairman Karel Havlicek suggested that cooperation with the Motorists party could be possible, but ruled out any coalition with the current government parties, including the Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats, TOP 09, Stan, or the Pirates, as stated by reports. Havlicek also confirmed that ANO’s candidate for prime minister remains its leader, Babis.
Approximately 8 million voters participated in the elections held Friday and Saturday, with 26 parties and groupings competing for seats in the 200-member lower house—four more than in the 2021 elections. Polling stations closed at 2 p.m. (12:00 GMT) on Saturday.
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