The Czech Republic’s new government led by patriotic-sovereignist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has won a mandatory confidence vote in the lower house of parliament, clearing the way for a significant shift in the country’s domestic and foreign policies.
Lawmakers backed the coalition by 108 votes to 91, allowing Babiš to return to power after his previous term from 2017 to 2021.
His ANO movement won October’s election decisively and formed a majority coalition with two smaller parties: the anti-immigration Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves. Together, they have formed a 16-member cabinet.
The new government is expected to steer the Czech Republic away from its staunch pro-Western stance and move the country towards a more pragmatic foreign policy stance.
Babiš has rejected further financial aid to Ukraine and Czech guarantees for EU loans supporting Kyiv, aligning himself with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico.
Addressing parliament, Babiš said Czech citizens would come first, pledging to build a “confident, secure, and prosperous” country that could serve as an inspiration to others.
