Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has begun talks to form the next government following his ANO party’s convincing victory in the weekend’s parliamentary elections.
Sovereignist-Eurosceptic ANO secured 34.5% of the vote, translating into 80 seats in the 200-member parliament. The runner-up, outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s Europhile SPOLU coalition, won 23.4%.
They are followed by SPOLU’s coalition partner, the liberal STAN, with 11.2%, the left-wing Pirates with 9%, the anti-immigration, right-wing Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) with 7.8%, and the right-wing Motorists party with 6.8%.
Although short of an outright majority, Babiš is widely expected to lead the next government, potentially in partnership with SPD leader Tomio Okamura and Petr Macinka’s Motorists Party. Together, the three parties would command 108 seats, a comfortable majority.
President Petr Pavel said after meeting party leaders that a three-party coalition “appears to be the most likely foundation for a new government.” He added that he would appoint the new cabinet in November at the earliest, after allowing sufficient time for negotiations.
Babiš met the SPD and Motorists heads on Saturday evening but declined to comment on the outcome, saying only the talks were “mostly positive.” According to Babiš, “we will definitely seek a single-party government led by ANO.”
However, Okamura confirmed that his movement is eager to participate directly in government, saying, “we would like to have at least one or two ministries—perhaps even three—but that depends on the election winner.”
Macinka described his meeting with Pavel as “very positive,” noting that the Motorists share a similar outlook with ANO on several key issues.
Babiš, who previously served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021, struck a conciliatory tone after the election. While he is known for opposing key EU policies, such as the Green Deal, climate targets, and pro-migration initiatives, he stressed his commitment to the country’s Western alliances.
“I am pro-European, I want Europe to work well,” he said after meeting the president, adding that he remained “pro-Western” and that suggestions he would destabilise the country’s foreign policy were “not fair.”
Nevertheless, he has called for a more measured approach toward Ukraine, arguing that the Czech Republic has already contributed significantly through the EU budget and should now prioritise its own citizens.
Babiš has also pledged to review the outgoing government’s ammunition-supply initiative to Kyiv but said he was ready to discuss its future directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The election result has been warmly received across Central Europe. Hungarian conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated Babiš, tweeting: “Truth has prevailed! A big step for the Czech Republic, good news for Europe.”
In the European Parliament, ANO and the Motorists are part of the right-wing Patriots for Europe bloc, which Babiš co-founded with Orbán.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico likewise welcomed the outcome, expressing hope that the vote would “stabilise relations” between Prague and Bratislava and give new momentum to the Visegrád Group (V4) of Central European nations.
It is only a matter of weeks before Babiš returns to office at the head of a government focused, above all, on the needs and priorities of ordinary Czech citizens.
