Czech election 2025: ANO, led by former PM Andrej Babiš, wins decisive victory

With all precincts now reporting, opposition party ANO, led by former PM Andrej Babiš, has won the 2025 Czech parliamentary election with 34.5 percent of the vote. Their path to establishing a constitutional majority, however, was hindered following underperformance from potential coalition partner SPD.

The governing Spolu coalition, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, trails with 23.4 percent of the vote, followed by STAN (10.5 percent), Pirates (9.0 percent), SPD (7.8 percent), and newcomers Motorists (6.8 percent).

The above six parties will cross the five percent threshold needed to win seats in parliament, while Stačilo! (Enough!), led by Communist Party head Kateřina Konečná, falls short at 4.3 percent.

Despite the win, ANO is projected to fall short of a constitutional majority, even with potential coalition partners SPD and Motorists. Early estimates give the three parties a maximum of 116 seats, short of the 120 needed for full legislative authority. This shortfall limits the party’s ability to pass constitutional changes or major legislation without broader support.

Voter engagement was high, with 68.8 percent turnout surpassing the 65.4 percent of the 2021 elections. Voting problems emerged with the introduction of eDoklady, the electronic ID system, preventing some voters from proving their identity at polling stations.

Digital and Information Agency director Martin Mesršmíd acknowledged the system’s limitations and offered his resignation. “It is very regrettable that we could not cover the high demand with system capacity,” he told Czech Radio.

Other election incidents were minor, but included police investigation into a possible suicide in a polling station and a few isolated procedural disruptions.

Motorists leader Boris Šťastný praised high turnout and the party’s parliamentary entry. “It’s good that turnout is so high. People are mobilized, and we’ll see what it brings,” he said, noting that the party refuses cooperation with current government parties but left open the possibility of working with SPD.

SPD deputy chair Radim Fiala said the party is prepared to support an ANO-led minority government despite falling short of pre-election polling expectations. “Backing even a minority ANO government is important for us and would fulfill the goal we entered the elections with,” he said.

ANO’s deputy chair Karel Havlíček, meanwhile, indicated that the party sees potential alignment with the new Motorists party as it begins coalition talks. “I can imagine that we could find common ground with Motorists,” he told Seznam Zprávy, adding that ANO plans to wait for final results before beginning formal negotiations.

Without a constitutional majority, ANO must navigate careful negotiations with smaller parties to secure legislative control. SPD’s weaker-than-expected result may reduce its influence, while Motorists’ new presence adds a fresh dynamic.

Defense and foreign policy are key areas to watch. Current ruling coalition parties Spolu and STAN are pro-NATO and EU-aligned, and support continued assistance to Ukraine. ANO, meanwhile, emphasizes national interest, and SPD influence could emerge to shape its coalition positions.

Final vote counts from remaining precincts are expected in the evening. Coalition talks and government formation over the coming days and weeks will determine policy direction on visas, housing, education, energy, and foreign relations.