Czech news in brief for October 5: Sunday's top headlines

President Petr Pavel has not yet asked Andrej Babiš, chairman of the victorious ANO party, to form a new Czech government, which Pavel called premature. Babiš briefed the president on initial, positive talks with the Motorists and SPD parties about post-election cooperation. Together, ANO, SPD, and the Motorists hold a 108-seat majority in the 200-seat lower house following ANO’s election victory.

A passenger at Václav Havel Airport Prague accidentally pressed an emergency button at Terminal 2 for Schengen flights on Sunday morning, prompting an evacuation. The error was quickly identified, and normal operations resumed after about 90 minutes. Around 20 departures were delayed, and long lines formed at check-in and security, airport officials said.

The largest number of Czechs voting abroad cast ballots in London (2,064), followed by Bern (1,424) and Brussels (1,423), the Foreign Ministry reported. A total of 27,945 valid votes were cast at 108 embassies, with 8,978 postal votes, newly allowed this election. Abroad, the ruling Together coalition won 39.26 percent, while ANO received 4 percent. Turnout among registered overseas voters was nearly 80 percent.

Drivers can now travel at up to 150 km/h on a 47 km section of the D3 motorway between Planá nad Lužnicí and Úsilné. The pilot project will test whether higher speeds can be safely introduced without increasing accidents. Conditions such as weather, road state, and traffic density will be monitored, with automatic speed reductions if necessary.

A record 67 women, or one-third of the 200 seats, will serve in the new Czech Chamber of Deputies, data from the Czech Statistical Office show. The figure surpasses the previous record of 50 female MPs in 2021. The average MP age dropped to 48.8 years, with 12 lawmakers under 29. The youngest is 21-year-old Julie Šmejkalová of STAN.

After ANO’s clear victory in the Czech general election, representatives of the Motorists party met ANO leader Andrej Babiš at his Průhonice residence on Saturday evening. Following them, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) leader Tomio Okamura arrived. ANO vice-chair Karel Havlíček ruled out alliances with outgoing government parties or the Pirates, but did not comment on potential cooperation with SPD.

Czech President Petr Pavel praised the high turnout of 68.9 percent in the parliamentary elections, congratulating ANO on its victory and other parties winning seats. He said the results confirm the Czech Republic's predominantly pro-Western orientation and expressed his wish for a stable government to ensure prosperity and security. Pavel will begin post-election consultations with party leaders at 9 a.m. Sunday, continuing through Monday.

Czech tennis player Linda Nosková will compete for her second and most valuable career title today at the WTA 1000 China Open tournament in Beijing. She meets world No. 4 American Amanda Anisimova in the final at 1 p.m. Prague time. Nosková, 23, will become the new Czech No. 1 in the WTA rankings with a career-high of at least 17, while Karolína Muchová drops out of the top 20 after losing in the round of 16 to Anisimova.

Czech PM Petr Fiala said he will consult within his party on his future after the Spolu coalition’s election defeat. He stressed he remains committed to a free and Western-oriented Czech Republic. Fiala congratulated the winning ANO party and acknowledged the coalition’s results make a repeat government with STAN and Pirates impossible. Spolu leaders said internal discussions on the coalition’s future will take place in the coming days.

Czech MMA fighter Jiří Procházka defeated American Khalil Rountree in UFC action, scoring a knockout in the third round. Procházka, 32, improved his mixed martial arts record to 32 wins in 38 fights and has six wins in eight UFC bouts. After cautious early rounds, he used his physical advantage in the third to end the fight at 3:04. He expressed hope for a title shot against Alex Pereira.

With all votes now in, Andrej Babiš’s ANO party won the 2025 Czech parliamentary election with 34.51 percent of the vote, ahead of the Together coalition with 23.36 percent and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) with 10.46 percent. Pirates followed with 8.97 percent, SPD with 7.78 percent, and Motorists with 6.77 percent. Voter turnout reached 68.95 percent. ANO will hold 80 of 200 lower house seats, increasing its lead from the 2021 election.