Andrej Babis' ANO Party Claims Victory in Czech Elections

Tue Oct 21 2025 06:42:19 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Billionaire Andrej Babis leads his populist ANO party to a significant win in the Czech parliamentary elections, but faces challenges in forming a coalition government.

Andrej Babis, the billionaire businessman and former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, celebrated a major win as his populist ANO party secured nearly 35% of the vote in recent parliamentary elections. Despite this historic success, Babis will need to negotiate with smaller right-wing parties to gain a majority in parliament. The election has raised questions about future governance, particularly concerning EU relations, economic policies, and military support for Ukraine.

Billionaire Andrej Babis' ANO Party Claims Victory in Czech Elections

Billionaire businessman Andrej Babis has won parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, although his populist ANO party fell short of an overall majority.

ANO received just under 35% of the vote, earning them 80 seats in the 200-seat lower house – up from 72 seats four years ago, according to preliminary results.

Babis – who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021 – is expected to be invited to lead talks on forming a new coalition.

Andrej Babis celebrates victory at ANO headquarters

This is a historic success, Andrej Babis announced to cheering supporters at the ANO headquarters in the suburbs of Prague.

He entered the building holding a Bluetooth speaker blasting a remix of the 1981 hit 'Sarà perché ti amo' by the Italian pop trio Ricchi e Poveri. The same song resounded across the stage as he accepted the applause, with some colleagues dancing along to the beat.

Babis described this victory as the pinnacle of his political career and stated his team would work to make the Czech Republic the best place to live in the European Union.

However, while this election has thrown up no great surprises – few had any doubt he would emerge in first place – there are still plenty of questions ahead.

He has already begun talks with two smaller right-wing eurosceptic parties that managed to pass the 5% threshold: the anti-Green Deal Motorists for Themselves, and the anti-immigrant Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, led by entrepreneur Tomio Okamura.

To form a majority government, Babis will need an alliance with both of these parties as none of the other larger parties are likely to work with him. He expressed a desire for ANO to govern alone, rather than create a formal coalition.

Babis' administration is likely to alter Czech military support for Ukraine, having vowed to scrap a successful Czech ammunition initiative supporting Ukraine's war effort. His position has raised concerns among Western allies regarding the Czech Republic’s reliability within the EU and NATO.