Self-proclaimed „Trumpist” billionaire Andrej Babis is leading in the Czech parliamentary elections, according to partial results after counting 60% of the ballots, reports AFP.
With 37.6% of the votes, the ANO movement („Action of Dissatisfied Citizens,” „YES” in Czech) led by Babis significantly outpaces the center-right coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, „Together” (20.9%), the liberals from STAN (10.7%), the far-right SPD (8.2%), the Pirate Party (7.9%), and the Motorist Voice (7%).
If ANO does not secure a majority, Babis will need other parties – including likely the far-right, anti-EU, and anti-NATO SPD party – to form a government or at least to support a minority cabinet, notes Reuters.
ANO has ruled out an agreement with the current governing parties and with the liberals from Česká pirátská strana, who were in power until last year.
Babis, who led a center-left cabinet from 2017 to 2021, is an ally of Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and has teamed up with a series of far-right parties from the European Parliament's Patriots for Europe group to challenge the mainstream direction of European policies, including decarbonization.
He has rejected the SPD's calls to leave the EU and NATO, but has stated that he will end the "Czech initiative" that purchased millions of artillery shells worldwide for Ukraine, funded by Western donors.