"The election victory this weekend of right-wing populist Andrej Babis risks turning the Czech Republic into another Central European problem child for Brussels after he campaigned on vows to slash support for Ukraine and confront the EU over immigration and environmental policies. Babis, a former prime minister and billionaire sometimes referred to in the media as the Czech Donald Trump, easily took the most votes with his ANO (YES) party garnering 35 percent."
"A triumphant Babis said after the results came in that he would seek a one-party minority government, though he would hold talks with two small parties including the far-right SPD that could give him a majority in parliament. There is no panic yet in the corridors of power in Brussels with some officials assessing that Babis is "no Robert Fico or Viktor Orban.""
Andrej Babis won 35 percent of the vote with his ANO party and plans to seek a one-party minority government while holding talks with two small parties, including the far-right SPD. Babis campaigned on vows to slash support for Ukraine and to confront the EU over immigration and environmental policies. Some EU officials judge him as less disruptive than Slovakia's Robert Fico or Hungary's Viktor Orban, yet concerns remain about Prague aligning more with Budapest and Bratislava. Orban promptly congratulated Babis. A Babis government will likely be more critical of major EU initiatives such as the Green Deal and oppose the upcoming migration pact.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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