Czech Billionaire Andrej Babis Wins Election: Set to Form Minority Government with Far-Right Support

Andrej Babis declared the "historic result" represented "the absolute peak" of his political career.

Billionaire former Prime Minister Andrej Babis's party secured victory in the Czech general election on Saturday, according to near-complete official results. His ANO (Yes) party is now poised to form a single-party minority government with far-right support.

The ANO party, which campaigned on promises of enhanced welfare and ceasing military assistance to Ukraine, garnered 34.6 percent of votes, provisionally securing 80 seats in the 200-member parliament of this EU and NATO member nation of 10.9 million citizens.

Current Prime Minister Petr Fiala's Together coalition finished second with 23.3 percent, while their coalition partner STAN secured 11.2 percent of votes.

Six parties in total gained parliamentary representation, including the Pirate Party with 8.9 percent, the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) with 7.8 percent, and the right-wing newcomer party, the Motorists, with 6.8 percent.

Babis, who describes himself as a "Trumpist," celebrated enthusiastically, hailing the "historic result" as the pinnacle 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 announced.

He indicated plans to reassess the Czech-led international initiative to provide artillery shells to Ukraine that was established by Fiala's administration, stating he would "discuss it with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky" if necessary.

"We are clearly pro-European and pro-NATO," Babis emphasized, seeking to allay concerns that he might align the Czech Republic more closely with EU outliers Hungary and Slovakia, which oppose military aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

In the European Parliament, ANO belongs to the far-right Patriots for Europe bloc, which Babis co-founded with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban quickly congratulated Babis on X platform: "Truth has prevailed! A big step for the Czech Republic, good news for Europe. Congratulations, Andrej!"

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen also celebrated Babis's victory on X, stating that "all over Europe, people call patriotic parties to power in a bid to regain liberty and prosperity."

While Fiala's government has provided humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion, voters criticized it for neglecting domestic issues.

"I congratulate the election winner, Andrej Babis," Fiala stated, dismissing any possibility of reconstructing the current governing coalition.

Voter turnout was substantial at nearly 69 percent.

The SPD advocates for a referendum on Czech withdrawal from the European Union, a proposal Babis has strongly rejected.

SPD leader, Tokyo-born parliamentarian Tomio Okamura, and Motorists head Petr Macinka both confirmed plans to meet with Babis later Saturday.

"I think the SPD... will be the key player," said Otto Eibl, an analyst at Masaryk University in Brno, speaking to AFP.

"We'll see if it's happy with staying outside the government while wielding some influence on its policy," he added.

Czech President Petr Pavel, who under the constitution will designate the next prime minister, announced plans to begin discussions with elected party leaders on Sunday.

Pavel, who defeated Babis in a 2023 presidential runoff election, met with the ANO leader earlier this week to address the tycoon's business-politician 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," Babis stated.

Ranked as the seventh-wealthiest Czech by Forbes magazine, Babis is currently facing trial for EU subsidy fraud exceeding $2 million.

He stands accused of removing his farm south of Prague from his extensive Agrofert food and chemicals holding in 2007 to qualify it for EU subsidies intended for small enterprises.

Portraying himself as a "peacemonger" advocating for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Babis has promised a "Czechs first" approach, echoing US President Donald Trump.

During his tenure as prime minister from 2017 to 2021, Babis criticized certain EU policies and maintains good relationships with Orban and Slovakia's Robert Fico, both of whom have preserved ties with Moscow despite its Ukraine invasion.

Charles University analyst Josef Mlejnek told AFP he doesn't anticipate "a fundamental change" in Czech foreign policy under Babis, who maintains business interests across Western Europe.

"Babis is a pragmatic businessman and the only thing he cares about is being prime minister," he concluded.