Andrej Babisz becomes prime minister for the second time. The first such situation in the Czech Republic

— Today, with this act, we are fulfilling the will of the voters, because the leader of the strongest party is appointed prime minister, said Czech President Petr Pavel during the swearing-in ceremony of the new head of government.

— I would like to appreciate again that you have honored the agreement we made between us to publicly announce how the conflict of interest will be resolved – emphasized the president. He noted that the Czech Republic “is in a difficult security and economic situation.” — We will have to solve a number of problems that will not be pleasant for public opinion. They will require not only vision, but also courage and not questioning our ties in the EU and NATO, he added.

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During the ceremony, Babisz limited himself to giving thanks and assured the Czechs that he would fight for their interests in the country and in the world. — We will make every effort to implement the government's program. We will also make every effort to make the Czech Republic the best place to live on the entire planet, declared Babisz on behalf of the cabinet, which the president has not yet appointed.

After the ceremony, the new prime minister told reporters that provided the president with an official list of candidates for government members. The candidate of the coalition party Zmotoryzowani (Motoriste), Filip Turek, is not present. This politician was initially supposed to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and after the head of state's opposition – in connection with Turek's fascist, racist and violent entries on Facebook – he became a candidate for the Minister of the Environment. This decision however, it did not change Pavel's attitude, who does not want a Turk in the emerging cabinet at all. Babisz announced that the Ministry of Environment will be headed by the head of Motorists, Petr Macinka, who will also be the head of diplomacy.

What was Andrej Babisz's career like?

Babisz, from Slovakia, is 71 years old. He entered politics at the age of 56, having previously accumulated enormous wealth, which he owes Agrofert holding. The later prime minister was called an “oligarch” and a “populist”. After a few years, when Babisz began to achieve success not only in business but also in politics, the term “Czech Trump” was added.

Babisz built his political career on the ANO 2011 movement, which he registered as a party in 2012. It was a “civic initiative” that aimed to fight corruption and promote transparency in public administration. The most popular slogan of the head of Agrofert has become: “I will run the state as if it were my company.”

Voters believed this assurance and in 2013, they gave Babisz a seat in parliament and the ANO movement second place in the elections to the Chamber of Deputies. As a result, ANO was included in the coalition government of Bohuslav Sobotka, in which Babisz became the first deputy prime minister and minister of finance. However, he left the cabinet because, as the owner of a media group and also a politician, he violated the statutory rule prohibiting members of the government from owning the media. This led to friction within the ruling coalition.

Another election Babisz won and became prime minister, but his two cabinets did not have a parliamentary majority. He benefited from the very strong support of the then president Milos Zeman and members of parliament from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.

Babisz started his political career as… anti-establishmentalthough he came from it and it was to him that he owed his first professional successes. His father was a diplomat, a foreign trade worker, and Andrej, who lived with his parents in France and Switzerland, continued this tradition. He became a member of the communist party because working for foreign trade companies involved cooperation with the communist political police StB. Babisz later claimed that he had nothing to do with the secret services, and the documents proving this were forged.

Problems and controversies surrounding Babisz

The nomination for prime minister does not end Babisz's other problems with the justice system. He is facing a case of extorting European subsidies. After the acquittal verdict, the trial in this case returned to the court of first instance. Justice, however, cannot request MP Babisz without the consent of the Chamber of Deputies, and it is unlikely that it will receive it.

Everything indicates that Babisz managed to avoid other charges. The way for the president to nominate him as head of government was opened when declared that he was giving up all ties with the Agrofert holding. He emphasized that the decision and its consequences are irreversible, and Babisz's children will only gain influence over the company after his death.

When it comes to foreign policy activities, Babisz – from the times when he was prime minister for the first time – remembers, above all, joint initiatives within the Visegrad Group, which, next to the Czech Republic, consists of Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. He has been emphasizing for years that the V4 managed to prevent the EU from decreeing migration quotas.

Babisz: wants to meet Tusk in the future

Now he repeats that he wants to resurrect the successful Visegrad Group. It talks about a community of interests in relation to the ETS2 emissions trading system or EU programs for the automotive industry. He also does not want, as he puts it, the dictate of large factions in the European Parliament when choosing the head of the European Commission. After the 2024 European Parliament elections, politicians from Babiš's movement, together with the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, the Italian leader of the Northern League Matteo Salvini and the leader of the French far right Marine Le Pen, created the Eurosceptic faction Patriots for Europe.

Right after winning the elections Babisz declared that he wanted to meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk as soon as possible and talk to him about European affairs and the Visegrad Group. He did not mention bilateral contacts, but he had previously spoken about Poland in a rather unfavorable way. Some of these statements could probably be explained by Babisz's interests in the Agrofert concern, which was threatened by Polish goods. However, he also directed accusations at Orlen, which was entering the Czech market, and expressed critical opinions about the dispute over the Turów mine, which began during his previous government.

Being in opposition, Babis sided with Kiev after Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2022. After two years, however, he decided that the Czechs were tired of the war, which is why the ANO party program and the statements of its leader increasingly began to include the demand to limit military aid to Kiev. After winning the election and concluding a coalition agreement with openly anti-EU and anti-NATO groups, Babisz emphasized that he would be a guarantor of the country's Western course and would not agree to any referendums that would decide about it.