Czechs Vote as Babis Promises Higher Spending, Cuts to Ukraine Support
PRAGUE, Oct 3 – Voters in the Czech Republic began casting ballots on Friday in an election widely expected to unseat the centre-right government, with surveys pointing to a return of populist billionaire Andrej Babis. His campaign has centred on raising wages, boosting growth, and scaling back support for Ukraine.
A Babis victory would strengthen Europe’s populist, anti-immigration bloc and could further divide EU consensus on climate action. No Czech government has won re-election since 1996.
The election follows years of economic strain, with households facing one of Europe’s sharpest declines in real incomes after the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That downturn eroded support for Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s Spolu coalition, which prioritized cutting the budget deficit.
On the final day of campaigning, Babis appealed to workers in Ostrava, handing out doughnuts, while both sides urged voters to turn out.
Babis, aligned with Hungary’s Viktor Orban in the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, has criticized Prague’s leading role in supplying Ukraine. While the Czech Republic gave tanks and armored vehicles early in the war and organized an initiative to source artillery shells for Kyiv with Western funding, Babis vowed to halt the project, calling it too costly.
“We don’t have money for our people. Our programme is for a better life for Czech citizens… We are not in Ukraine,” the 71-year-old said during a televised debate this week.
ANO Party Faces Coalition Hurdles
Polls show Babis’s ANO movement leading with over 30% support, roughly 10 points ahead of Fiala’s Spolu. But even with a minor partner, ANO is projected to fall short of a majority in the 200-seat lower house.
Due to strained relations with Spolu and other mainstream parties, ANO may have to rely on backing from fringe movements like the far-right SPD or the far-left Stacilo!, both skeptical of the EU and NATO. Babis, however, has dismissed speculation that he would seek an EU or NATO exit, rejecting calls for referendums and insisting accusations of a pro-Russian tilt are “fearmongering.”
Babis’s return to power faces other challenges. As the owner of a vast food and chemical empire, he must navigate conflict-of-interest rules, and he is still battling a fraud case tied to an EU subsidy from more than 15 years ago — charges he denies.
For Spolu, a path to retaining power could come if enough minor parties fail to cross the 5% parliamentary threshold, though pollsters say this is less likely than in the last election.
Polling stations will close at 10 p.m. local time on Friday and reopen from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, with results expected later that day.
