THE right-wing populist party of Czech billionaire Andrej Babis has scored a big victory in parliamentary elections, according to nearly complete results published on Saturday.

With the results from 99.5 per cent of the polling stations counted by the Statistics Office, Mr Babis’s Ano (Yes) movement had captured 34.7 per cent of the vote and 80 seats, soundly beating the conservative Together coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala, which received 23.2 per cent and 52 seats.

That result could lead the country to shift away from supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia and towards the same pro-Moscow stance as Hungary and Slovakia have taken.

The elections were a fiasco for a communist-led coalition of four left parties, which failed to win a single seat.

Mr Babis, who was prime minister from 2017 to 2021, called the result “historic,” telling supporters and media: “We want the Czech Republic to become the best place for life in the European Union and we will do everything to make it happen.”

His victory means Mr Babis is poised to join the ranks of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, whose countries have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, continue to import Russian oil and oppose European Union sanctions against Russia.

The Czech Republic has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, donating arms, including heavy weapons, to the Ukrainian armed forces. Prague is also behind an initiative that acquires artillery shells Ukraine badly needs from countries outside the EU.

Mr Babis said his aim was to form a one-party government, but he will need at least tacit support from the far-right, anti-immigrant Freedom and Direct Democracy party, which won 15 seats, and anti-environmental group Motorists for Themselves, which gained 13.