Andrej Babis, the Czech billionaire and founder of the populist ANO party, confirmed that he will remain a deputy in the lower house of the Czech parliament, putting to rest speculation that he may step down as a deputy and perhaps even as ANO leader. This confirmation comes after his loss in the presidential runoff against former army chief of staff General Petr Pavel in January.

Babis established the ANO party in the early 2010s in response to corruption scandals that brought down cabinets led by the neoliberal ODS party. He positioned the party as an anti-corruption movement for disenfranchised citizens. ANO is now the strongest party in the parliament, with 72 deputies, however, it was ousted from power in October 2021 when the SPOLU group of centre-right parties, led by ODS, joined forces with the Pirate Party and Mayors and Independents to gain a majority of 108 in the Chamber of Deputies of 200.

Although Babis has remained the undisputed leader of the party, speculations about ANO’s future appeared after high-profile ANO politicians from the socially troubled Moravian-Silesian region criticized Babis’ presidential campaign. Governor of the region, Ivo Vondrak, who openly backed Pavel in the presidential race, recently resigned from his post in the ANO leadership.

At a press conference following the party leadership meeting, Babis once again criticized democratic institutions such as the parliament and the media. He referred to the parliament as a “talking rubbish” place and accused the media of constructing evil around him. However, he stated that he will not be as active in the media and this will probably be the only change.

Babis and his lieutenants Alena Schillerova and Karel Havlicek will continue to be the key faces of ANO. Schillerova tweeted that the values on which Andrej Babis founded the ANO movement are more relevant with every new week of the government’s rule. The billionaire also stated that he intends to continue his strategy of appealing to both left and right-wing voters and will target voters of the far-right and anti-EU SPD, as well as the non-parliamentary Social Democrats, who he accused of betraying their electorate.

Politicians from the ruling coalition have criticized ANO for lacking a clear political ideology. Babis and ANO have been trying to unite the anti-corruption and business rhetoric of the party’s early years with appeals to the socially vulnerable electorate. Babis described the centre-right government as “anti-social.”

In conclusion, despite losing the presidential runoff and facing criticism from within his own party, Andrej Babis and ANO remain a major force in Czech politics. Babis will continue to be a deputy in the lower house of the Czech parliament and the leader of his party. ANO will continue its strategy of appealing to a wide range of voters, with Babis, Schillerova, and Havlicek as its key faces.

Article by Prague Forum