"After four years in opposition, 71-year-old Andrej Babis, the Czech Republic's seventh richest man with a net worth estimated by Forbes at $3.9bn (2.9bn), is eyeing a triumphant comeback, his party 10 points clear in the polls, its prospective vote share topping 30%. I want to restore the management of the state to normal, Babis, a polarising leader whose previous premiership from 2017 to 2021 drew mass protests, said recently."
"What worries critics and observers at home and abroad, however, is where his catch-all, populist promises may take him now; whether, like the US president whose style (if not policies) he so appreciates, his second term may make his first look tame. Days before an election that the outgoing centre-right prime minister, Petr Fiala, has warned could determine whether the Czech Republic remains firmly part of the west, or drifts off toward the east, some are sure the worst is yet to come."
"We only hope he won't be able to form a government, said Venuse Rydl, 68, a voter in the Prague suburb of Modrany, who was unpersuaded by Babis's promises to cut taxes, cap energy prices and lower the pension age. Her husband, Rudolf, 70, agreed. We don't believe Babis, and we don't trust him, he said. He's a populist and he's out for himself. He showed it last time he was in government why would this time be different?"
Andrej Babis is a wealthy, hard-driving former prime minister seeking a political comeback while his party leads polls by around ten points and could win over 30% of the vote. He projects managerial competence, promises tax cuts, energy price caps and lower pension age, and models his persona on Trump and admires Viktor Orban. His 2017–2021 premiership provoked mass protests and persistent conflict-of-interest accusations. Critics fear his populist, catch-all pledges could weaken democratic norms and shift the Czech Republic away from the West. Supporters credit him with delivering practical results and prioritizing ordinary voters' concerns.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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