Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in the Czech Republic on 3 and 4 October 2025. As the far-right ANO party of former PM Andrej Babiš rises and 101 seats are needed for a majority in the 200-member Chamber, the country is at risk of several national and international adventures.
“These elections are not just about the next four years of government, but about democracy, security, prosperity, and the values on which our society stands. The Czech Republic needs to continue prudent state management in the coming years, support education, build highways, roads, and railways, develop energy, and invest in modern sectors such as chips, nuclear power, and artificial intelligence. And it also needs clear values, principles, and a pro-Western orientation to ensure peace, prosperity, and security for its citizens,” the pro-EU Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on his X account on 13 May.
In the October parliamentary elections, the pro-EU Spolu coalition won 27.8% of the vote and 71 seats, while the party of Babiš obtained 27.1% and 72 seats. The elections’ results enabled Spolu – an alliance between the ECR-member Civic Democratic Party (ODS) of Petr Fiala, and two EPP-members, the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People’s Party (KDU-ČSL) and TOP 09 – to form a coalition government with the Mayors and Independents party (also in EPP) and the Greens-member Czech Pirate Party (Piráti). However, several international and national challenges and a harsh disinformation campaign supporting populist and nationalist rhetoric brought the far-right to the top of opinion polls.
The far-right in the Czech Republic includes three political parties. The ANO of former Prime Minister Babiš, a populist party until 2023, abandoned the ALDE and partnered with the Patriots for Europe (PfE) of Marine Le Pen. ANO was also one of the group’s founding members, together with the Austrian FPÖ and Hungarian Fidesz. The party is leading the opinion polls with 30%.
Consequently, the Freedom and direct democracy (SPD), a long-time ally of Le Pen, was excluded from PfE and found refuge in the extremist Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) Group, which is led by the extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD). Polls indicate the SPD is at 13.7% of preferences.
A third party, the Motorists for Themselves (AUTO), also a PfE member, is at 4.9% according to recent opinion polls.
According to recent polls, these parties account for 48.9% of the votes.
Considering that all of them support Russia’s positions in the war against Ukraine, and partner with Hungary and Slovakia to block the EU’s policies towards Russia, a government under Babiš could be a severe problem for the Union.
“Now it’s all or nothing! The Czech Republic faces fundamental challenges that will shape our future for decades to come. The world around us is changing – we are dealing with the consequences of Russia’s aggressive policies, the rise of populism and extremism, and uncertainty in the global economy,” highlighted Petr Fiala.
On 13 May, Petr Fiala, together with politicians of the Spolu coalition, started an information campaign around the Czech Republic, aiming to inform citizens about the work of the government.
“Over the next six weeks, together with friends from the SPOLU coalition, we will travel across the entire Czech Republic. We will visit over 200 diverse places in our beautiful country. And we want to talk to absolutely everyone. With those who support us, those we have disappointed in some way, and even those who, for some reason, don’t like us. We want to convince as many people as possible that there are plenty of sensible reasons why the SPOLU coalition deserves the chance to complete the work it has started successfully,” wrote the Czech Prime Minister.
