The Czech Prime Minister is criticized for his corona policy, among other things.
(Photo: dpa)
Prague In the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has probably lost the majority of MPs that carried him. After counting almost all electoral districts, Babis’ opponents were ahead on Saturday evening. The head of the opposition Pirates Party, Ivan Bartos, announced talks about the formation of a new government.
Of the 200 seats in the lower house of parliament, 108 should go to the center-right alliance together and to the liberal formation pirates / mayors, as a calculation by Czech television based on the results from more than 98 percent of the electoral districts showed. Both groups declared before the election that they refused to collaborate with Babis. According to the constitution, a prime minister is appointed by the state president. This is the 77-year-old Milos Zeman, allied with Babis.
According to the interim result, together comes to 27.49 percent of the vote and pirates / mayors to 15.39 percent. In contrast, Babis’ populist ANO reached 27.39 percent, while the two parties allied with her missed a re-entry into parliament. The polling stations were open from Friday to Saturday noon.
Babis, who took up a second term in office, has been criticized for his corona and debt policy. In addition, the opposition accuses the founder of the corporate empire Agrofert of conflicts of interest. A few days before the vote, personal deals of the head of government in tax havens became known in connection with the publication of the so-called Pandora Papers. The 67-year-old billionaire denies wrongdoing.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
During the election campaign, Babis had promised to further increase wages, salaries and pensions in the public sector. Babis had stuck to the generous spending policy from the Corona period, although the situation in the country has eased. The opposition accused him of chaotic crisis management during the pandemic. With more than 30,000 corona deaths, the Czech Republic has one of the highest proportions of pandemic-related deaths in its population in Europe.
A victory for the opposition could improve the relationship between the Czech Republic and the EU, because at least the dispute over conflicts of interest would be over. A defeat for Babis, who campaigned against immigration and the EU, would also remove the country politically from Hungary and Poland, who cross with Brussels on legal issues relating to the understanding of democracy.
More: Andrej Babiš: A power-conscious oligarch is about to be re-elected.