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The populist billionaire has met with Czech President Petr Pavel and will conduct talks with other political leaders as he commences the challenging process of building a durable administration after his ANO party won the election while missing an decisive mandate.

Voting Figures

Complete counts revealed ANO obtained 34.5% of electoral support from the weekend polling, translating to a initial 80 seats in the bicameral assembly. The centre-right Spolu coalition led by outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala came in second with 23.4%.

"I have promised to show the president a solution that will comply with national and EU legislation," Babiš announced prior to Sunday's discussions began.

Leadership Obstacles

Despite praising the "unprecedented achievement" as "the zenith" of his public service, Babiš encounters substantial barriers both to become prime minister and to secure and maintain support for the minority administration he has suggested.

Several mainstream factions have publicly dismissed entering a coalition with ANO, forcing the billionaire to court approval from smaller conservative movements. "We will conduct talks with the SPD and the Motorists, and aim for a independent cabinet headed by ANO," he affirmed.

Governing Agenda

The leader, listed as the country's seventh-richest man with an approximate fortune of $3.9 billion, promised pledges of quickened expansion, higher wages and pensions and reduced taxation. He also promised to fight the EU's border policy and green deal, and to terminate the shells-for-Ukraine initiative, instead supporting Kyiv solely via EU channels.

Prospective Supporters

Babiš's movement holds several overlapping positions with the far-right SPD, which likewise resists EU climate and immigration policies – as does the compact right-leaning Drivers group.

The more radical Kremlin-aligned, anti-defense pact, anti-bloc SPD also campaigned on a "Czexit" pledge to leave Czechia from the bloc, which Babiš has categorically rejected. He has repeatedly insisted his party is "pro-EU, and pro-alliance".

Negotiation Dynamics

The Motorists party and the SPD have expressed openness to negotiations with the winning party, but it continues ambiguous how far any group will prefer to support a minority ANO government as opposed to attempting a formal alliance agreement – or how long such support might endure.

Election experts observed that the SPD's ballot percentage was substantially reduced than the anticipated percentage before the election, meaning its discussion leverage in discussions about support arrangement would not be as powerful as earlier thought.

Legal Framework

Even if Babiš is finally successful to demonstrate to the head of state – who overcame the businessman in last year's presidential race – with a inter-party understanding representing a 101-seat majority in parliament, his problems may persist.

The president declared ahead of polling that he would not appoint any ministers who sought Czechia's withdrawal from the EU or from Nato. He has also indicated he was seeking guidance from lawyers regarding a conceivable integrity issue related to Babiš.

International Reactions

European far-right leaders including Viktor Orbán, who declared digitally that "Truth has prevailed!", and the French nationalist, who said "nationalist groups" were being "invited to lead across European nations", have congratulated Babiš.

However, although ANO is part of the far-right Patriots for Europe bloc and Babiš has described himself as an admirer of Orbán, the bloc's primary troublemaker, it is ambiguous regarding how much he will align himself with the anti-bloc faction.

Expert Opinions

Government experts believe Babiš's politics are more pragmatic than ideological and that he is unlikely to pick a serious fight with Brussels as long as the Czechia depends on bloc support and the billionaire's businesses continue to profit from the union.

Czech institutions are also likely to constrain the billionaire at home, with drastic alterations expected to be impeded by the legislative chamber, which can block any recommended electoral law or constitutional changes and must confirm judicial appointments named to the constitutional court.