Billionaire Trump fan Andrej Babis returns to power as Czech prime minister
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Czech President Petr Pavel (right) shaking hands with ANO party leader Andrej Babis as he is appointed as the country's new prime minister.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PRAGUE - Mr Andrej Babis, a billionaire supporter of US President Donald Trump, returned to power as Czech prime minister on Dec 9, signalling a possible end to Ukraine aid and potentially rockier ties with the European Union.
Mr Babis’ ANO movement, which won the October parliamentary elections, teamed up with two Eurosceptic parties to form a coalition government
In its policy statement, the coalition said the EU had “its limits” and no right to impose decisions infringing on the sovereignty of member states.
In his campaign, Mr Babis has also vowed to curb aid to Ukraine, battling a Russian invasion since 2022.
The outgoing centre-right government gave humanitarian and military aid.
President Petr Pavel appointed the 71-year-old, who governed the EU and NATO member of 10.9 million people from 2017 to 2021.
“I promise all citizens of the Czech Republic to fight for their interests at home and abroad,” said Mr Babis, who has described himself as “Trumpist” in the past.
Throughout his political life, Mr Babis has battled conflict of interest allegations over his roles in business and politics, drawing mass protests during his earlier term. Thousands rallied against Mr Babis in November on the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution that toppled communism in the former Czechoslovakia.
The Slovak-born Mr Babis is the seventh wealthiest Czech, according to Forbes magazine.
He made his fortune as the owner of the sprawling food and chemicals conglomerate Agrofert and other companies.
Mr Pavel urged Mr Babis to resolve the conflict of interest before he is appointed, and the new premier last week vowed to put Agrofert in the hands of an independent administrator.
He did not disclose details, sparking speculation about the move, but Mr Pavel said he was happy with the explanation and promised to appoint him.
Mr Babis is due to stand trial over a €2 million (S$3.02 million) fraud.
He is accused of taking a farm out of Agrofert in 2007 to make it eligible for an EU subsidy for small companies.
Mr Babis has also battled allegations of being a communist secret police agent in the 1980s.
He has denied any wrongdoing, calling all the allegations a “smear campaign”.
Mr Babis, who holds an economics degree, entered politics with his ANO party in 2011.
He was finance minister from 2014 to 2017 but was ousted after leaked recordings showed he had influenced reporters working for his newspapers, which he has since sold.
In 2023, he lost a presidential run-off vote to Mr Pavel.
Thanks to his father’s job as a trade representative for Czechoslovakia during the communist era, Mr Babis attended elementary school in Paris and high school in Geneva.
Controversial minister candidate
In the European Parliament, ANO and its new coalition partner, the Motorists, are part of the far-right Patriots for Europe bloc, which Mr Babis co-founded with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Together with the far-right SPD, the three parties hold 108 seats in the 200-member Czech Parliament.
Mr Pavel has said he would reveal the government’s ministers after Mr Babis submits a list of candidates.
He has expressed reservations about naming the Motorists’ candidate for the environment minister, Mr Filip Turek, over his past.
Mr Turek is under police investigation for alleged rape and domestic violence following a complaint by a former girlfriend.
Police had also probed Mr Turek for allegedly giving Nazi salutes in public, but they have shelved the case. Czech media have published racist and homophobic posts on social media attributed to Mr Turek. AFP
