Oct. 9, 2025, 10:37 p.m.
(ANO party winners of the election. PHOTO: CNN)
The election period continues in Ukraine's neighboring countries. On September 28, parliamentary elections were held in Moldova, with the pro-European Action and Solidarity party winning, and the first weekend of October brought parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic and local elections in Georgia.
The first elections were held in the Czech Republic. Voters in the Czech Republic went to the polls on October 3 and 4 in what participants and analysts call the key parliamentary elections. Some analysts predicted that these elections could lead the Czech Republic to clashes with the EU on issues ranging from migration to climate policy. It is on these issues that these elections could have turned the Czech Republic into another anti-EU agitator in Central Europe, along with Hungary and Slovakia. Such a set of circumstances could also have consequences for the bloc's support for Ukraine, so Kyiv and Brussels were closely watching the vote. The fact is that the ANO party, led by former Prime Minister Andrei Babish, was leading in the polls and could have formed a Euroskeptic and pro-Russian coalition.
The populist Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO, or "Yes" in Czech), a member of Viktor Orban 's Patriots for Europe national group, has a 10-point lead in the polls over the center-right Razom alliance led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala. It won European and regional elections in 2024 and has a good chance of gaining about 30%. The party is led by 71-year-old agribusiness billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. He has been nicknamed the "Czech Trump". Previously, the Slovak-born Babiš was accused of seeking to undermine democracy by plotting to weaken parliament and buying up much of the media to silence criticism. Babiš once campaigned on an anti-immigration platform, capitalizing on popular opposition to EU migration quotas. He founded ANO as a centrist, pro-European movement in 2011, but has since transformed it into a populist, anti-immigration, EU-skeptical party. During this election, this political force promised to limit energy prices, lower the retirement age, and cut taxes for individuals and businesses. Babiš also promised to fight the EU 's "green" agenda and migration deal and said he was open to alliances with parties that oppose further aid to Ukraine. He wants to stop the "Czech initiative" to supply Ukraine with Western-funded artillery ammunition.
The following political forces also took part in the elections:
Spolu, a three-party alliance that has reduced the Czech state budget deficit from 5% to 2% since taking over from Babiš in 2021, claims that ANO's promises will lead the country into a debt spiral. He promises to restore public finances, reduce debt, and modernize the armed forces.
TheMayors and Independents (Stan) party, a liberal, centrist, pro-European party and member of Fiala's outgoing government coalition that favors austerity, wants the Czech Republic to adopt the euro, as does the liberal, centrist Pirates party, which was part of the government until last year.
On the far left, the Moscow-friendly, anti-establishment Enough is Enough alliance, which includes the once-powerful Social Democrats and the last unreformed Communist party in Central Europe, promises referendums on leaving the EU and NATO, and nationalization of key industries.
Also running in the election was the far-right SPD, which absorbed three smaller right-wing radical parties and opposes the EU, NATO, immigration, and aid to Ukraine. Motoristé sobě (Motorists for themselves) rejects green policies and advocates lowering the cost of living.
Although no party was predicted to win a majority in the 200-seat lower house, ANO - if it were to finish first - would begin coalition talks with a number of smaller parties to try to gain the parliamentary support needed to form a cabinet. Parties such as the anti-European and pro-Russian Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and Stačilo! or the newly minted Automobilists for Sábě (Automobilists for Sábě) would demand significant political concessions in exchange for their votes in such a coalition.
Election campaigning in the Czech Republic. PHOTO: Atlantic Council
In the Czech Republic, parliamentary seats are allocated in each district on a proportional basis, with individual parties having to pass a 5% threshold, two-party alliances 8%, and groups of three or more parties 11%.
A total of 28 parties have registered to run in the elections. Unusually, voting in the Czech Republic takes place over two days - on Friday and Saturday morning - and almost complete results can be expected by the end of the day on Saturday.
According to the polls, ANO had just over 30%, the ruling center-right Spolu alliance 21%, and the far-right SPD 12%. The pro-European parties Stan and Pirates had 11% and 9% respectively, the far-left Stačilo! had 7%, and the radical right-wing Motorists for Themselves had just over 5%.
In the October 2021 parliamentary elections, ANO won more seats than any other party, but narrowly lost in the popular vote and was pushed out by opposition parties. The three Spolu parties, as well as Stan and Pirates, have announced that they will not cooperate with ANO, Stačilo! or SPD this time either.
Analysts argue that the Spolu-Stan-Pirates coalition could be re-formed if the participating parties received a sufficient number of seats. In addition, a formal ANO-led coalition could be much more difficult to form and maintain, as it would have to include the far right, the far left, or possibly both. It is unclear what concessions Babiš might be willing to make to coalition partners or parties operating on the principle of trust and supply. It is believed that he prefers a one-party minority government from the ANO, which would be supported in parliament by Stachilo!, the SPD, or both, and - if they received 5% - the Motorists. Therefore, none of the possible outcomes associated with ANO looks particularly stable.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Czech President Petr Pavel has stated that he reserves the right to refuse to appoint ministers who advocate leaving the EU or NATO, and will not appoint MPs with extreme left or extreme right views to cabinet positions related to security or foreign affairs.
Therefore, it would be better for both Ukraine and stability in the EU if the reformatted Sova-Stan-Pirates coalition remained in power in the Czech Republic.
Yes, there was no surprise. As expected, ANO won the majority in the elections. The political force of populist billionaire Andriy Babish won these parliamentary elections. According to preliminary results, ANO won more seats in the legislature than any other candidate (34.51%), but did not gain a majority. At the same time, the voter turnout was 68.7% (the third highest result since the Czech Republic gained independence).
A call to go to the polls. PHOTO: Volby pro vsechny
The 71-year-old businessman is expected to be invited to lead negotiations to form a new coalition. He has already ruled out cooperation with any of the parties that will be in government after the 2021 elections.
Among his potential partners are the fringe Freedom and Direct Democracy (FDP), which ran in an alliance with several smaller far-right parties and received 7.78%, and a right-wing group called the Motorists, which received 6.77%. As for the other participants in the race, Prime Minister Petr Fiala's pro-Western coalition received 23.36%, a group of mayors known as STAN, which is also part of Fiala's government, received 11.23% of the vote, and another Fiala ally, the Pirate Party, together with the Greens, received 8.97% of the vote (it increased its position in the parliament by more than 4 times - it had 4 seats, will have 18). The far-left movement Enough is Enough, which advocates leaving the European Union and was mentioned as a possible, though unlikely, partner of ANO, did not pass the five percent threshold.
Babiš may now have to form an alliance with both parties to be able to win a majority. According to the Czech news agency ČTK, ANO, SPD, and ODS will win a maximum of 116 seats in the lower house of parliament out of 200. This is enough for an ordinary majority, but not enough for a constitutional majority.
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"We will definitely hold talks with the SPD and the Motorists and seek a one-party government led by ANO," Babiš said.
It remains to be seen whether the SPD and the Motorists will take such a step and whether such a coalition will take place. As a reminder, Czech President Petr Pavel said that he would not appoint deputies with extreme left or extreme right views to cabinet positions related to security or foreign affairs. But it is likely that with Babiš's victory, the Czech Republic will join Hungary and Slovakia in refusing to support Ukraine.
Babiš calls himself a supporter of peace and calls for an end to the war in Ukraine.
He puts forward the slogan "Czechs first," which is reminiscent of similar calls by US President Donald Trump. From 2017 to 2021, he headed the government of the Czech Republic and criticized some decisions of the European Union. He also maintains good relations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (both of whom have maintained ties with Moscow despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine).
Babiš also called for the end of the Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with artillery shells, claiming that it is too expensive. Under this program, the Czech Republic searches for shells around the world and buys them for Ukraine with the support of Kyiv's other Western allies. In the spring, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that by the end of this year, Kyiv hoped to receive 1.8 million pieces of artillery ammunition under the Czech initiative. At the same time, Babiš does not believe that military assistance to Ukraine should be completely stopped, but calls for this issue to be referred to NATO and the European Union.
ANO's victory in the elections also does not guarantee Babiš the post of prime minister. In the Czech Republic, the president decides who should form the government, and Petr Pavel has already asked experts to conclude that Babiš may have a conflict of interest due to the billionaire's Agrofert holding. However, on the eve of the election, Pavel promised to "respect the will of the voters" and "act in accordance with the constitution."
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