"With most votes tallied, Babis's ANO party is ahead, but it appears set to fall short of a majority in parliament. Billionaire Andrej Babis's populist ANO party has taken a commanding lead in the Czech Republic's parliamentary election, but is on track to fall short of a majority. With ballots from more than 97 percent of polling stations counted on Saturday, ANO had 35 percent of the vote, according to the Czech Statistical Office."
"Despite the strong showing, the failure to secure a majority means Babis cannot rule alone. Early signs suggest ANO may seek backing from the Motorists, a party opposing European Union green policies, and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), which has campaigned against both NATO and the EU. Leader of ANO party Andrej Babis speaks during a news conference after the preliminary results of the parliamentary election, at the party's election headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic, October 4, 2025 [Radovan Stoklasa/Reuters]"
With more than 97 percent of ballots counted, ANO held 35 percent compared with Spolu's 23 percent, leaving ANO short of a parliamentary majority. Turnout reached 68 percent, the highest since 1998, with over 4,400 candidates and 26 parties contesting seats in the 200-member lower house. President Petr Pavel is expected to open coalition talks with party leaders after results are finalised, though officials warned that mail-in voting could slow official confirmation. Early indications suggest ANO may seek support from the Motorists and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), whose deputy leader said the party was ready to help topple the government.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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