In the Czech Republic, parliamentary elections on October 3–4 saw the “Action of Dissatisfied Citizens” (ANO) of former Prime Minister, billionaire, and eurosceptic Andrej Babiš take the lead, winning nearly 35% of the vote.
“This win marks a political comeback for Babiš, who was prime minister from 2017 to 2021. He is expected to put the country on a course away from supporting Ukraine and towards Hungary and Slovakia, who have taken a pro-Russian stance,” The Guardian wrote.
Coming in second was the “Together” (SPOLU) party of current Prime Minister Petr Fiala, with just over 23% of the vote. Four other parties also entered parliament: members of the current ruling coalition, “Mayors and Independents” (STAN), with just over 11%; the “Pirate Party” with 8.8%; “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) with 7.8%; and the “Motorists” (Motoriste Sobe) with 6.78%. The far-left movement “Enough!” (Stačilo!), which supports leaving the European Union, did not reach the five-percent threshold.
Czech President Petr Pavel congratulated ANO on its victory, noting that the high turnout reflects citizens’ active engagement in public life and their concern for the country’s direction.
“The results show that voters have clearly backed the country’s mostly pro-Western course. Starting tomorrow, I’ll kick off talks with the parties that made it into the Chamber of Deputies to put together a new government. My hope is to see a government in place that can tackle the country’s core challenges and provide stability and security for citizens,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the “Action of Dissatisfied Citizens” didn’t win enough seats to govern alone, meaning Babiš will have to line up coalition partners. České noviny reports that he has already indicated plans to open negotiations with SPD and Motoristé sobě (Motorists) in an attempt to form a single-party Cabinet. But even with ANO’s victory at the ballot box, there’s no guarantee Babiš will return as prime minister, leaving his next moves under close scrutiny both at home and abroad.
“Babiš has said he wants to form a single-party ANO government, while at the same time holding talks with SPD — Okamura’s party, which is reportedly eyeing the interior ministry and seeks to deny shelter to Ukrainians — and Motorists, a new right-leaning party that backs a free market and minimal restrictions in the automotive and energy sectors. At the same time, Babiš set out his ‘red lines’ — keeping the Czech Republic in the EU and NATO, and ruling out a coalition with the current governing parties: SPOLU, STAN, and the Pirates. If he succeeds, it could produce one of the most right-leaning governments in modern Czech history, somewhere in between the current government in Poland and those in Slovakia and Hungary,” said Maksym Hrushchenko, junior researcher for the Regional Initiatives and Neighbourhood programme at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism,” in a comment to The Ukrainian Week.
He added that one positive aspect is that SPOLU lost very few votes, while the Czech Pirate Party, on the other hand, gained 14 seats. “Regarding the latter, it’s interesting that they initially focused on local bodies but suffered a heavy defeat in the regional elections in September 2024 to the ANO party. We can now see them evolving into a party with a national presence,” Hrushchenko added.
According to the researcher, another positive aspect of the situation is that the Motoriste Sobe party could become the most pro-Ukrainian party in the new government, which will make it an important focus for diplomatic engagement. Another advantage, he noted, is that the umbrella left-wing party Stačilo! did not make it into parliament, as its ranks include communists.
“Another positive point is the high turnout, which may indicate that younger generations are starting to vote, and that President Petr Pavel will remain in office until 2028,” Hrushchenko told The Ukrainian Week.
Babiš is known for calling to end the Czech initiative to supply artillery shells to Ukraine, arguing that it is too costly. He also maintains close ties with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
According to Maksym Hrushchenko, the current format of the ammunition initiative is now very much in question. On the downside, the last pro-Ukrainian “hawkish” government in the Visegrád Group (V4) countries has effectively disappeared, and there is now a possibility for Babiš to explore some kind of “alliance” with Fico and Orbán. Such a move could complicate the situation within the EU and undermine support for Ukraine.
“At the same time, we can see the rising popularity of other parties, like the Pirates, which shows that the political landscape in the Czech Republic is complicated and could still shift in ways that benefit Ukraine,” Hrushchenko explained.
