Former Czech prime minister Andrej Babis, who leads the opposition ANO party, has made sweeping promises as he campaigns to regain power in the October 3–4 parliamentary election. Babis pledged to cap energy prices, secure cheap electricity for households, lower the retirement age, and cut taxes for both companies and individuals. He also said ANO would scrap fees for public television and radio, freeze salaries for politicians, and block new European Union green measures, including the planned extension of carbon emission allowances to households from 2027. The ANO party also committed to raising the state’s stake in the top energy company CEZ to full ownership, up from 70 percent, to gain more control over pricing.
The 71-year-old billionaire businessman, who built his fortune through the Agrofert conglomerate, positioned himself as the candidate who would protect Czech citizens from rising living costs and EU environmental rules. ANO is currently leading opinion polls with more than 30 percent support, around ten points ahead of the ruling Together coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Despite this lead, Babis may struggle to secure a majority, likely forcing him to seek support from far-right or anti-EU parties to form a government.
Babis has shifted ANO from its original centrist and pro-European roots into a populist, anti-Brussels party that has adopted hardline stances on immigration, the economy, and EU integration. He recently joined forces with Hungarian leader Viktor Orban to co-found the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, aligning himself with far-right movements across the continent. During his campaign in Ostrava, Babis stressed that his policies would “jump-start the economy” and ease financial burdens on ordinary people, saying funding would come through stronger tax collection and higher growth rather than immediate balanced budgets. His fiscal ally, Alena Schilerova, confirmed that balanced budgets would only be possible after ANO’s economic reforms took effect.
However, the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala has dismissed Babis’ pledges as irresponsible, warning they would send the Czech Republic into a “debt spiral.” The government argues that its own policies have already reduced the budget deficit significantly, from five percent of GDP in 2021 when it took office after the pandemic, to 1.9 percent this year. Critics also fear that Babis’ promises, if enacted, would put Prague on a collision course with the European Union, especially over green policy and support for Ukraine.
See also: Sophie Turner Cast as Lara Croft in New Tomb Raider Series
Comments
Post a Comment