Preliminary counts show Babis’s ANO party leading, yet it seems unlikely to achieve a election/” title=”Moldova Takes Bold Step: Pro-Russian Parties Banned Ahead of Crucial Sunday …”>parliamentary majority.
Published On 4 Oct 2025
Andrej Babis, the billionaire and leader of the populist ANO party, is currently leading the Czech Republic’s parliamentary elections, though his party is unlikely to secure an outright majority.
According to the Czech Statistical Office, with over 97% of votes counted by Saturday, ANO holds approximately 35% of the vote, while the centre-right coalition Spolu, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, trails at 23%.
Following the release of these initial results, Fiala acknowledged his party’s defeat and extended his congratulations to Babis.
Voter participation surged to 68%, marking the highest turnout since 1998, with more than 4,400 candidates representing 26 parties vying for seats in the 200-member lower chamber.
President Petr Pavel, who is responsible for appointing the next prime minister, is anticipated to initiate coalition discussions with party leaders on Sunday once the final results are confirmed. However, officials have cautioned that the inclusion of mail-in ballots may delay the official certification process.
Despite ANO’s strong performance, the absence of a majority means Babis will need coalition partners to govern. Early indications suggest he may seek alliances with the Motorists party, known for opposing EU environmental policies, and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), which campaigns against both NATO and the European Union.
Radim Fiala, deputy leader of SPD, told Czech television that his party is prepared to support efforts to unseat the current government. “Our goal in this election was to end Petr Fiala’s administration, and backing even a minority ANO cabinet aligns with our objectives,” he stated.
The partial tallies reveal that smaller pro-Russian factions underperformed. SPD secured 8% of the vote, while the far-left Stacilo! movement, associated with the Communist Party, failed to surpass the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation.
Babis, who previously led a centre-left government from 2017 to 2021, has shifted significantly to the right in recent years. Once an advocate for adopting the euro, he now positions himself as a eurosceptic and openly admires former US President Donald Trump, even distributing “Strong Czechia” baseball caps reminiscent of Trump’s MAGA branding.
He has also cultivated close relations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and aligned with far-right groups within the European Parliament.
While rejecting SPD’s proposal for a referendum on Czechia’s membership in the EU and NATO, Babis has pledged to halt Prague’s independent arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that military assistance should be coordinated directly through NATO and the European Union.
