The ANO party receives majority support from Czech voters and Andrej Babis is elected
- Media outlets owned by Babis
- Election results in the Czech Republic
- Concern in the European Union
- Possible political shift and parliamentary alliances
- Impact on Central Europe and regional tension
Media outlets owned by Babis
Not surprisingly, he owns the country's two main newspapers and also owns several radio and television stations, all of which are responsible for proclaiming the benefits of his populist creed.
Election results in the Czech Republic
Leader of ANO, which means ‘Yes’ in Czech, Babiš has won the legislative elections in the Czech Republic, securing more than 36% of the votes cast by the electorate of this country of just ten million inhabitants, but with considerable weight and influence within the European Union.
ANO has prevailed over SPOLU (Together) of the current Prime Minister Petr Fiala, which has barely garnered 21.5% of the vote, followed by the centrists of STAN (Mayors and Independents), which barely garnered 11%, almost three points more than Svoboda a prima demokracie (Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD), led by Tomio Okamura.
Concern in the European Union
These results have caused widespread concern in Brussels, as they herald a radical shift in Prague's policy on the main concern that is now keeping all Europeans awake at night: the war in Ukraine, its development and consequences. In the three long years since the war of aggression against Ukraine, decreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Czech Republic has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine, providing economic and military aid and welcoming a huge contingent of Ukrainian refugees into its territory.
This situation could change radically. Babiš is very receptive to Putin's invasive and annexationist arguments and is considered an ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is now openly regarded as the Russian leader's Trojan horse within the European Union.
Possible political shift and parliamentary alliances
It is true that Babis does not have a sufficient parliamentary majority to form a government on his own, but in view of the election results, it does not seem very difficult for him to obtain alliances and support from some of the pro-Russian parties, especially the SPD (unrelated to the German Social Democrats, whose acronym is also SPD), or even the far-right AUTO. Either or both of these would be enough for him to form a government, much to the delight of the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, a group led by the Spanish Vox party, which shares a critical stance towards EU policies on climate change, anti-immigration rhetoric and the protection of national sovereignty. In fact, in addition to Vox, its leader, Santiago Abascal, was quick to congratulate Babis on his victory and the Czech people ‘for choosing the path of freedom, security and prosperity’, before adding on his social media account that ‘there is good news in Europe: globalism is retreating and patriots are advancing’.
Impact on Central Europe and regional tension
Central Europe is thus raising the temperature of its tension several degrees at a crucial moment for the European Union, when, on the very threshold of the always harsh winter in those latitudes, Putin continues to test the Europeans' ability to respond and confront his constant provocations on a daily basis.