Prague (dpa) - The right-wing billionaire populist Andrej Babiš said he would seek to form a minority government led solely by his ANO (Yes) party after emerging as the winner of the Czech parliamentary election.

After four years in opposition and a defeat in the 2023 presidential election, Babiš, 71, has made a political comeback. Final results showed ANO winning 34.6% of the vote, up nearly 7.5 percentage points from 2021, giving his party 80 of the 200 seats in the lower house of the Czech parliament.

The centre-right coalition Spolu ("Together"), led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, fell to 23.3% from 27.8% in the previous election, while the previously co-governing Mayors' Party took 11.2%. The opposition Pirates came in at just under 9%. Voter turnout was higher at 69% compared to the 2021 elections.

President Pavel received Babiš for initial talks

Babiš told supporters in Prague that he would aim for a one-colour government. He also said he would look to secure outside support from two smaller parties on the right of the political spectrum – the newly formed Motorists' party and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD). The Motorists won 6.8% and the SPD won 7.8% of the vote. The three parties would hold a parliamentary majority of 108 seats.

Czech President Petr Pavel, a former general who has chaired NATO's Military Committee, is holding talks with all party leaders. He received Babiš at Prague Castle on Sunday for initial talks, though he has not yet granted him the mandate to form a government.

Babiš is expected to be a challenging partner for Europe as he pledged to halt arms deliveries to Ukraine, "destroy" the Green Deal - a programme to make the EU climate-neutral - and end the European migration and asylum package, during his campaign.

Babiš, a friend of the EU-critical Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is also an advowed admirer of US President Donald Trump. "Truth has prevailed," Orbán wrote on X, calling it a "big step" for the Czech Republic. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, seen as pro-Russian, congratulated Babiš by phone on his election victory.

Babiš faces bargaining with smaller parties

It remains unclear what concessions Babiš may have to make to potential kingmakers in order to secure tolerance for his future government. The Freedom and Direct Democracy party is demanding not only the option of a referendum on leaving the EU and NATO – which Babiš rejects – but also the return of more than 383,000 Ukrainian refugees to their homeland. The Motorists' party is pushing for a rollback of the planned 2035 phase-out of combustion engines.

The Freedom and Direct Democracy party is already demanding Cabinet posts: "We would like to have at least one ministry, rather two," SPD head Tomio Okamura said following talks on Monday with President Petr Pavel. The specific posts were still under discussion, Okamura said.

President Pavel said he would convene parliament at the beginning of November. Under the constitution, the president is tasked with naming the new prime minister, who must be confirmed in office by parliament within 30 days.The Czech Republic has been a NATO partner since 1999 and an EU member since 2004.

Author: holzhaeuser.chiara

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