Elections in the Czech Republic

Parliament expected to be both fragmented and contentious

The first day of two elections in the Czech Republic went smoothly and voter turnout appears to have been slightly higher than in 2021. Polls close at 2 p.m. today and results are expected in the evening.

The new parliament will be “extremely fragmented and probably even contentious,” according to the Czech newspaper Lidové noviny. Around 16-17 parties are expected to take seats and it will likely be difficult to form a stable government.

According to polls, the opposition party Ano, led by billionaire Andrej Babis, will be the largest party with just over 30 percent of the vote. Babis has described himself as a supporter of Donald Trump, is pushing the “Czech Republic First” line and is more skeptical of Ukraine support than the current center-right coalition.

Ano is likely to govern in some form, with explicit or tacit support from other parties. It is also not inconceivable that Ano will govern with one of the incumbent government parties.

“Nothing is certain, we haven’t won yet,” Babis said when he cast his vote.

Orbán friend favourite to become the new leader of the Czech Republic

Billionaire Andrej Babis looks set to return to the post of prime minister in the Czech Republic. There is much evidence that his party Ano will take power after the parliamentary elections to be held on Friday and Saturday.

The Czech economy has struggled to recover from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has led to dissatisfaction with the liberal right-wing coalition led by Petr Fiala.

71-year-old Babis was previously seen as a liberal but has moved increasingly to the right over the years. He is friends with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, supports sharply reduced immigration and wants to cut aid to Ukraine.

A preliminary election result is expected on Saturday afternoon, writes Politico Europe.