Czechs go to the polls on Friday and Saturday facing a deteriorating security situation in Europe and fears of Russian interference.
Populist billionaire Andrej Babis, 71, is tipped to head the next government, replacing the strongly pro-Western, pro-Ukraine coalition.
But he'll likely need allies on the extremes of Czech politics – and their price will not be cheap.
We'll never drag the Czech Republic to the East. I can absolutely rule that out, Babis told a crowd of mostly elderly supporters, gathered around a stage in the former steel town of Kladno, just outside Prague.
We weren't the ones who sat down with Putin - we were the ones who expelled Russian diplomats! he went on, referring to measures taken in his first term following revelations that Russia's GRU military intelligence had blown up a Czech ammunition dump in 2014.
A row of grey heads nodded as the former prime minister warmed to his theme.
And never - I repeat, never - will we consider leaving the European Union. Look at what happened to Great Britain! And they're a nuclear power. They've got gas, oil, a fishing industry. They're friends with Trump, he added.
Many supporters were wearing Babis's red baseball cap emblazoned with the words Strong Czechia – heavily inspired by Trump's Maga movement.
The problem for Babis – and it could soon become a problem for Nato and the EU – is that his ANO party is unlikely to win an overall majority.
Instead, he will likely need to form alliances with smaller parties on the fringes of Czech politics. Opinion polls and public statements suggest his choice of potential allies will be limited to the ultra-nationalist SPD, the anti-Green-Deal Motorists, and Enough! - a rebranded coalition of Communists, remnants of the Social Democrats and a blogger in a black hat.
On Wednesday night, during his only head-to-head debate with Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Andrej Babis ruled out forming a coalition with the Communists. I'll sign a piece of paper to that effect right here in the studio, he said.
Many potential allies want referendums on leaving the EU and Nato, which ANO says is not going to happen.
Meanwhile, young activists like 19-year-old Ondrej Kapralek express concerns that the political landscape is shifting toward the far-right, worried that the Czech Republic may follow Hungary and Slovakia into illiberalism.
Security analyst Roman Maca warns that potential coalitions could affect Czech support for Ukraine and NATO, raising alarms in Europe as elections draw near.
