Billionaire Babiš's Right-wing Party Wins Czech Election

With more than 97% of the vote counted, she is on 35.1%.

Two-day parliamentary elections, which will determine the new composition of the lower house of parliament, have been completed in the Czech Republic. Polling stations worked on October 3 from 14:00 to 22:00 and on Saturday, October 4, from 8:00 to 14:00, writes "Deutsche Welle".

Czech TV channel CT24 cites data from the state-run Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), which shows that by 6 p.m., based on the results of processing data from more than 97 percent of polling stations, the right-wing party Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) of billionaire and right-wing populist Andrzej Babiš was receiving the most votes (35.1 percent). He was previously finance minister and prime minister of the Czech Republic, and has remained in opposition in recent years. Now he intends to return to power with the slogan "Czech Republic first and foremost."

Prime Minister Fiala's bloc is in second place

After ANO comes the three-party center-right bloc of incumbent Prime Minister Petr Fiala "Together" (Spolu). It gains 22.9% of the vote. In third place is the centrist liberal party "Starosty and Independents" (STAN) with 11% of the vote.

The Czech Pirate Party follows with 8.7% of the vote. In fifth place is the anti-migrant party "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD) led by Tomio Okamura with 7.9%, and in sixth place is "Motorists for themselves" (6.8%). The rest of the parties fall short of the 5% needed to enter parliament.

The battle for wavering voters

According to pollsters, up to a third of the electorate was undecided on their preferences on the eve of the vote. In the latest televised debate on the Nova channel, the rivals exchanged mutual accusations of lying. Babiš sharply criticized EU initiatives such as the Green Deal, the migration pact and the emissions trading system.

Fiala, on the other hand, warned that Babiš would "drag the country to the East." At the same time, Babiš himself avoided discussing a number of foreign policy issues and did not openly oppose continued aid to Ukraine.

What happens next?"

The election will determine the composition of the 200-seat lower house of parliament, a key chamber in the Czech Republic. MPs will be elected for four-year terms. After the vote, the main role will go to non-partisan President Petr Pavel, who will be tasked with forming a government.

The former NATO general defeated Slovak-born Babiš in the January 2023 presidential election, beating him in the second round with 58.32 percent to 41.67 percent.

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