Czech citizens have completed their voting process in a national election on Saturday, with the party led by self-proclaimed “Trumpist” billionaire Andrej Babis emerging as a leading contender. This development has raised concerns about Prague’s stance on Ukraine and its future relationship with the European Union.
A potential return to power by the former prime minister could potentially align the Czech Republic, a supporter of Ukraine, more closely with EU outliers like Hungary and Slovakia. These countries have refrained from providing military assistance to Ukraine and have opposed sanctions against Russia.
The election results are anticipated to be disclosed later on Saturday. Babis, aged 71, is running his campaign on promises of social welfare and discontinuation of military support to Ukraine. Many voters attribute the neglect of domestic issues in the country of 11 million people and the allocation of aid to Ukraine to the center-right coalition government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
Babis’s ANO party has secured the top spot in opinion polls with over 30 percent support, outpacing Fiala’s Together coalition, which has garnered around 20 percent backing. Describing himself as a proponent of peace and advocating for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Babis has pledged to prioritize Czech interests and improve the overall quality of life for Czech citizens, drawing comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
During his previous term as prime minister from 2017 to 2021, Babis expressed criticism toward certain EU policies and maintained strong relationships with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, who have continued engagements with Moscow despite its incursion into Ukraine.
Expressing his expectations for the next government, Boris Lucansky, a 60-year-old administrative worker and ANO supporter, highlighted the need for beneficial changes that would positively impact the populace. On the other hand, retired university teacher Bedrich Ludvik voiced concerns about the potential foreign policy direction under a Babis administration, emphasizing his preference for a Western-oriented stance.
As the election outcome holds significant implications for the country’s trajectory, Prime Minister Fiala emphasized the pivotal nature of the vote in determining whether the Czech Republic progresses towards the future or regresses to the past. Analysts predict that a Babis victory may not bring about drastic changes, attributing his pragmatic approach as a businessman focused on assuming the role of prime minister.
Furthermore, analysts anticipate that a government led by Babis could adopt a more confrontational tone towards Brussels, echoing the rhetoric of neighboring countries like Slovakia and Hungary within the EU and NATO framework. If Babis’s party emerges victorious without securing a majority, there is a possibility of forming a coalition with the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, which is anticipated to secure approximately 12 percent of the vote.
Under the constitutional protocol, Czech President Petr Pavel is set to commence discussions with the leaders of the winning parties on Sunday to determine the next premier. Recent revelations by the American Sunlight Project unveiled that the SPD party had invested substantially in online advertisements without proper disclosures, surpassing the spending of both Babis’s and Fiala’s parties in this domain.
Additionally, concerns have been raised about Czech-language TikTok accounts disseminating pro-Russian propaganda and supporting anti-establishment parties through manipulated engagement. In response, the European Commission conducted an “emergency meeting” with TikTok to address these issues in the context of the Czech elections, leading to the removal of several suspicious accounts from the platform.