PM Orbán’s friend populist Andrej Babis wins the Czech parliamentary elections

Populist billionaire Andrej Babis’ ANO Party secured victory in the Czech parliamentary elections, winning nearly 35.5% of the vote as nearly 94% of ballots were counted, public broadcaster Ceska televize reported.

Orbán’s friend wins the Czech elections

The current ruling Spolu coalition came in second with around 22.5% of the vote, while the Stan movement finished third with roughly 11%. In the 2021 elections, the Spolu coalition narrowly defeated ANO by less than one percentage point, later forming a government led by Petr Fiala, writes Le Monde.

The Pirates received about 8.5% of votes, followed by the SPD with just under 8%, and the Motorists party just under 7%. The Stacilo! movement and the Oath party failed to pass the 5% threshold required to enter the lower house, gaining 4.2% and 1.1%, respectively.

The Czech State Election Commission is expected to review the full results on Monday, with official publication in the Collection of Laws likely on Tuesday. Citizens will have the opportunity to challenge the results at the Supreme Administrative Court starting Wednesday.