The weekend victory in Czech parliamentary elections of billionaire populist Andrej Babiš is likely to set back European efforts to support Ukraine, to boost its own military capabilities, and to implement its vital Green Deal. In the European Council, with Robert Fico of Slovakia and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Czechia’s election represents a significant strengthening of disruptive, populist and anti-immigration forces, even if Babiš is less explicitly Eurosceptic.
The return of the former prime minister is likely to see Czechia pull out of an important Prague-led initiative to buy and supply ammunition to Ukraine for European allies.
Last year his ANO party, alongside Hungary’s Fidesz, co-founded a European Parliament group that includes France’s Rassemblement National and Austria’s Freedom Party, far-right parties with a history of pro-Russian sympathies.
With nearly all the votes counted, ANO has not secured a majority, but with just over 35 per cent, and two potential allies on the far-right crossing the five per cent threshhold for seats, it should secure some 108 of the 200 parliamentary seats and Babiš will be asked by the president to see if he can form a government.
RM Block
With the mainstream parties of the outgoing government refusing to work with him, the process of government formation may, however, take some time.
Babiš on Saturday evening said he aims to form a single-party minority government, supported by the far-right SPD and anti-green populists Motorists for Themselves.
Some 4,462 candidates and an alphabet soup of 26 parties in a variety of alliances competed in an election conducted by proportional representation. Turnout was estimated at 68 per cent, the highest since the 1998 elections.
Prime minister Petr Fiala’s governing centre-right coalition Spolu (Together) took around 23 per cent. The STAN (Mayors and Independents) party, the fourth member of the governing coalition, trailed in third with 11 per cent.
Babiš insists that his party will not support calls for a referendum on EU membership and that the ANO is “clearly pro-European and pro-Nato”, determined to “save Europe” by blocking the EU green deal and pro-migration legislation.
But he also faces legal difficulties that may in his case require a vote securing parliamentary immunity from charges of fraud. He is currently awaiting a verdict from a Prague court over whether his huge agri-business Agrofert defrauded the EU out of € 2 million by diverting subsidies intended for medium-sized businesses.
Babiš claims the charges are politically motivated and during the election used his wealth and business record to claim he would drain the Czech political swamp. It sounds familiar.
