ANO party wins Czech elections

With almost all votes counted (99.3 percent), the opposition ANO party led by former prime minister Andrej Babiš has won the Czech parliamentary elections with 34.8 percent. The centre-right coalition Spolu (Together) followed with 23.2 percent, and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) finished third with 11.2 percent. The Pirate Party gained 8.8 percent, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) 7.8 percent, and the Motorists 6.8 percent. Voter turnout reached nearly 69 percent. It is ANO’s second parliamentary victory after 2017. Four years ago, the party narrowly finished second behind Spolu. Arriving at his party’s headquarters in Prague, Babiš said he was “happy,” calling the outcome a historic success and the highlight of his political career. “I hoped we would reach 30 percent, as our poll suggested 26,” he said.