Babis’ party wins Czech parliamentary elections: anti-Ukrainian politician receives majority of votes
In the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, which ended on October 4, the populist ANO party of the country’s former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who had previously repeatedly expressed anti-Ukrainian views, won.
This is reported by CT24 .
According to the Czech Election Commission, polling stations closed at 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time, and as of 6:40 p.m., 94% of protocols had been processed. Voter turnout was 68%.
The ANO party received 35.5% of the vote, which ensured a clear victory. The Spolu coalition, led by incumbent Prime Minister Petr Fiala, came in second with 22.5%.
The centrist STAN party came in third with about 11% of the vote. The Czech Pirate Party came in second with 8.7%, and the far-right SPD (Freedom and Direct Democracy) of right-wing populist Tomio Okamura came in third with just under 8%. In total, six parties passed the five-percent threshold required to enter the 200-seat lower house of parliament.
ANO leader Andrej Babis, who headed the Czech government from 2017 to 2021, said his goal is to create a one-party government.
In July, he also threatened that if he won, his political force would cancel an initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine. In response, Prime Minister Fiala warned at the time that this decision would be a “big mistake” and could undermine the Czech Republic’s position among its allies in the EU and NATO.
Babis’s victory could significantly change the political course of the Czech Republic, which has so far remained one of the most active European supporters of supporting Ukraine in the war against Russian aggression.
By the way, on Friday, October 3, parliamentary elections began in the Czech Republic . Polling stations will open at 2:00 p.m. local time and will be open until 10:00 p.m., and the next day voting will continue from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Counting will begin immediately after that, and the first results are planned to be announced on the evening of October 4.
As a reminder, Czech President Petr Pavel previously advocated for the continuation of the initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine . He stressed that any attempts to limit or terminate this program would be a “dangerous and regrettable” decision that could undermine the trust of allies.
Pavel also commented on the statements of the opposition party ANO, which promised to roll back the initiative if it wins the elections. He insists that the program should continue, as it not only helps Ukraine, but also strengthens international solidarity.
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