© Getty Images / Tomas Tkacik
Partial results were released by the Czech Statistical Office several hours after the polls closed across the central European country of 11 million earlier on Saturday.
With ballots from 20% of voting districts counted, Babis' opposition ANO (Yes) party was ahead with 39.7% of the vote, followed by the Spolu (Together) group led by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala with 19.1%, the agency said.
Babis has been campaigning on a promise to stop Czech military assistance to Kiev, unlike Fiala, who has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
The 71-year-old, who served as prime minister between 2017 and 2021, has been particularly critical of Prague's ammunition initiative for Kiev, calling it "overpriced" and insisting that it should be handled by NATO.
He has spoken out against Ukraine's membership in the EU, as well as Brussels' handling of immigration and the Green Deal.
The Western media has warned ahead of the vote that with Hungary and Slovakia already refusing to provide military aid to Kiev and advocating for a diplomatic end to the conflict, Babis' victory in the Czech Republic could tip Central Europe even further away from Brussels on Ukraine and other key issues.
Reader Comments
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Anyhow - Some old farts are better than others but old ideas die hard no doubt....and those pushing old ideas proven wrong must not realize how the endlessly tic-toc click clock of time moves on as better ideas get assimilated over time....and really - who the hell thinks Russia is the problem these days?
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Oh thank goodness for the effing "ai":
But to the topic : Russia has not officially recognized Transnistria yet to avoid conflict. Exactly as they did with Donbas. They could have recognized the breakaway region in 2015, but seeked a diplomatic solution. Only in 2022, when they found Nato and Ukraine dead set on war, they followed through - first recognize their independant statehood, and then go in.
The Brits and French are still preying on Crimea and Odessa, as a rump-Nato bridgehead against Russia. Is uppose if Nato (Romania) is trying to annex Transnistria to hold on to Odessa, the reaction will be swift. Russia will recognize it, and go after all Romanian military bases near the border. And there is nothing rump-Nato can do ...
As a side note, I read this morning there is some "resentment" upon Putin for not bringing some of this mess to quicker closure - not sure there is anything to it, but tis worth keeping an eye upon I reckon.
One wonders though at what point the citizens of the countries within the construct of the "EU" will simply decide - enough is enough.....
talk about dominoes....
Regards,
BK
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I appreciate Paul Craig Roberts but I don't think he understands Judo like Putin does....
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With that said if
MoldoviaTransnistria becomes "contested" I suspect Odessa will soon be part of Russia and Transnistria as well.If it doesn't, then well - all bets are off - and Medvedev would be a replacement don't take no shit I reckon! I mean - he talks a big game - but I think Putin is better in Judo "artform".
Additionally - ain't this telling about the "ai" programming: "garbage in" = "garbage out" I reckon.
I think the fate of Transnistria most probably depends on Nato, and especially Romania. Medvedev is, it seems, the representant of a faction in Russia that is much less circumspect when it comes to confrontations with adversaries. If they had their way, the government district in Kiev would have been turned into a parking lot at least two years ago.