Billionaire Andrei Babis, whose party first came to the parliamentary elections in the elections, wanted to reassure his pro -European feelings after his meeting this morning with President Petr Pavel to begin talks.
“We discussed the results of the election and our image in its gates and the EU. I see negative information abroad and I think this is not right,” the former prime minister for the 2017-2021 period said, adding that “Europe is working well”.
“We are purely pro -European and pro -Natives,” he had already said yesterday, Saturday, after the announcement of his victory, this 71 -year -old businessman, who says he is “bullied” and wants to reduce the aid to Ukraine.
Does not have an absolute majority of seats
With 34.51% of the votes, ie 80 seats out of the 200 numbering parliament, his party, ano, has no absolute majority of seats.
However, Babis announced that he wants to rule this country of Central Europe alone and the 10.9 million people who are a member of NATO and the European Union.
It calculates the support of the SPD far -right party, which received 7.8% of the votes (15 seats) and the right -wing “Voice of Motorists” (6.8%, 13 seats).
“We have 108 seats along with motorists and SPD, that is, the same starting position as the outgoing government. This is not what we would prefer, but it is what is possible, “Babis said today.
Babis was conducting a campaign on the basis of the promise to increase social benefits and reduce the aid to Ukraine to put the Czechs first.
Asked last night by the public Ukrainian media of Suspilne, Babis assured, however, that Prague would not fully question her support for Kiev.
“We help Ukraine through the EU that helps Ukraine (…) and this is how we will continue to help,” he said.
‘Ukraine is not ready for the EU’
He also expressed the assessment that Ukraine “is not ready for the EU” and stressed: “We must first put an end to the war.”
According to observers, it may mean an approach to Hungary and Slovakia, who have denied any military aid to Ukraine and prevent sanctions against Russia.
Hand hand with Orban
Babis is, along with Victor Orban, co -founder of the Eurosceptic political group of the European Parliament “Patriots for Europe” and the Hungarian Prime Minister rushed to congratulate him yesterday through X, welcoming “a good news for Europe”.
While the SPD, which is its ally, calls for a referendum on the Czech exit from the European Union, Babis categorically rejected this idea.
“I think the SPD (…) will be a key factor,” said Otto Aimble, an analyst at Mazaric University in Brno. We will see if he will be satisfied by staying out of government while having some influence on politics. “
Joseph Machenek, an analyst at the University of Charles in Prague, does not expect a “fundamental change” in Czech foreign policy under Babis, who has commercial interests in Western Europe.
President Petr Pavel, a former NATO forces leader and categorically pro -European, is going to give a press conference at 16:00 (local time, 17:00 Greek time), after meeting with the head of the outgoing center -right Government Petr Fialic (52). The Liberal Stan Party, who was an ally of the bottle in the outgoing government, came third (11.2%, 22 seats).
Billionaire Babis, 7th richest man in the country, according to Forbes, with $ 3.9 billion, had previously been accused of. Heads of a group of chemicals and foods, will be tried for fraud with European subsidies.
