Two-day parliamentary elections kicked off in the Czech Republic on 3 October, which are likely to lead to a change of government.
Polling stations will be open until 23:00 (Kiev time) on 3 October and from 8:00 to 15:00 on 4 October, with results expected tomorrow afternoon.
Most polls show that Andrej Babiš and his ANO party will win the parliamentary election with around 30 per cent of the vote. Babiš’s campaign centred on promises to raise wages and stimulate economic growth, as well as an end to military aid to Ukraine.
That said, even if Babiš’s party wins the vote, it will almost certainly have to negotiate a coalition with fringe parties, bringing the country closer to Viktor Orban’s Hungary and Robert Fitzo’s Slovakia in their attitudes toward Ukraine, which could lead to an end to aid to Kiev and less enthusiasm for Czech membership in Western institutions.
The current centre-right coalition government of Prime Minister Peter Fiala has provided significant humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but many voters accuse it of ignoring problems at home.
According to polls, Spolu (“together”), an alliance of centre-right parties that includes incumbent Prime Minister Fiala’s “civic democrats”, could win about 20 percent of the vote, while other parties in the current pro-Western coalition government Stan (“mayors and independents”) and the “pirates” are projected to get 10-12 percent each.
All of these parties have said they are not interested in forming a coalition with the ANO or even supporting it with votes to legislate as a one-party minority government.