Czechs have decided: ANO Party is the election winner
Radio Prague International is following all developments after the closing of polls in the Czech parliamentary elections. We are updating this article live with the latest turnout figures, preliminary results, and reactions from across the country. As the counting progresses, we bring you timely updates drawn from Czech sources.
20:33 - President Petr Pavel praised the high turnout in the parliamentary elections, congratulating the winning ANO movement and other successful parties. In a post on X, he said he hopes the country will soon have a stable government. According to the president, the results show that voters have clearly reaffirmed Czechia’s pro-Western orientation. Pavel’s statement came after voter turnout reached 68.9 percent, the third highest since 1996, according to preliminary data from the Czech Statistical Office. He returned to Prague earlier in the evening from a visit to the Ústí nad Labem Region, where he had cast his vote on Friday.
18:43 - Outgoing prime minister and leader of the Spolu (Together) coalition, Petr Fiala of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), congratulated the ANO party on its election victory. He said that forming a new government on the current coalition framework would not be possible.
18:35 - ANO party leader Andrej Babiš said he looks forward to meeting President Petr Pavel. "I’m surprised they received so many votes,” he said and added that he had promised the president to present a solution to his conflict-of-interest issue “in full compliance with Czech and European law.” “I didn’t believe it at first. I hoped we would reach 30 percent, as our poll suggested 26,” Babiš said.
18:29- Andrej Babiš, leader of the winning ANO party, said after the election that ANO would seek to form a one-party government and begin talks with the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD) and the Motorists. He expressed confidence that his party would “put together the government smoothly.” Babiš called the result a historic success for ANO and thanked all citizens who took part in the elections. He described ANO as “a united team” and announced that his proposed cabinet would report publicly on its work every six months.
18:14 - Economist and director of the Václav Havel Library, Tomáš Sedláček, said that a reasonable government could be formed by the winning ANO party together with the Spolu (Together) coalition—but without ANO leader Andrej Babiš. He noted that although Babiš and Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Civic Democrats (ODS) ruled out such cooperation before the election, post-election reality might differ.
18:02 - Pirates to form strong parliamentary group, says party leader Hřib. He added that the Pirates would have a strong parliamentary group that would start working immediately. He welcomed the fact that the party achieved its goal of surpassing the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD).
17:32 - Deputy chairman of the victorious ANO Party Karel Havlíček said he could imagine post-election cooperation with the Motorists party, but ruled out any coalition with the current government parties—Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats, TOP 09, STAN parties—or with the Pirates. Speaking as he arrived at ANO’s election headquarters, he declined to anticipate possible talks on support from the far-right SPD.
“Motorists are close to us, we share many program points,” Havlíček said, noting that both parties belong to the same group in the European Parliament. He added that ANO’s “red lines” remain firm regarding Czechia’s membership in the European Union and NATO—issues SPD has challenged by calling for referendums.
Havlíček reaffirmed that ANO’s candidate for prime minister is its leader, Andrej Babiš, and said Babiš would resolve any potential conflict of interest stemming from his Agrofert holding.
16:45 ANO party leads after three-quarters of votes counted, still short of constitutional majority.
With about three-quarters of districts counted, Andrej Babiš’s ANO party led the Czech parliamentary elections with 36.9 percent of the vote, followed by the Spolu coalition (Civic Democratic Party, TOP 09, and Christian Democrats) with 21.6 percent and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) with 11 percent. The Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD) had 8.1 percent, the Pirates 7.9 percent, and Motorists Themselves 6.9 percent. The Enough! movement (Stačilo!) remained below the five-percent threshold with 4.6 percent.
According to the Czech News Agency’s forecast, ANO would not gain a constitutional majority of 120 seats even together with SPD and Motorists Themselves, with their combined total expected to reach a maximum of 116 seats. Constitutional changes would also require Senate approval, where ANO holds only 14 of 81 seats and its potential allies have none.
16:18 ANO party leads halfway through vote count; no major problems reported in overseas voting. With half of all districts counted, Andrej Babiš’s ANO party was leading the Czech parliamentary elections with 38.2 percent of the vote, followed by the Spolu coalition (Civic Democratic Party, TOP 09, and Christian Democrats) with 20.5 percent and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) with 10.6 percent. The Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD) had 8.3 percent, the Pirates 7.7 percent, and Motorists 7.1 percent. The Enough! movement (Stačilo!) remained below the five-percent threshold with 4.7 percent.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no major issues occurred during voting abroad. Many Czechs voted using voter certificates at embassies, often in higher numbers than expected. In Moldova’s capital Chișinău, for instance, only nine voters were registered, but around 70 more came with certificates. The ministry noted that results from foreign polling stations might arrive later this year because of the newly introduced postal voting, used for the first time by about 11,000 Czechs living abroad.
15:50 - Predictions by STEM and Blindspot AI both show ANO party leading, Enough! (Stačilo!) unlikely to enter parliamen. Two early election forecasts give a clear lead to Andrej Babiš’s ANO party. According to Blindspot AI, ANO is expected to win around 35 percent of the vote, followed by the Spolu coalition (Civic Democratic Party, TOP 09, and Christian Democrats) with 23 percent and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) with 11.4 percent. The Pirates, the Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), and Motorists Themselves are also projected to enter parliament, while the Enough! movement (Stačilo!) is not.
A separate prediction by the STEM agency, released by CNN Prima News, estimates a similar outcome: ANO with 35.5 percent, Spolu with 22.4 percent, and STAN with 12 percent. SPD, the Pirates, and Motorists Themselves would each win between seven and eight percent. Enough! (Stačilo!), supported mainly by former communists and social democrats, is forecast to remain below the five-percent threshold required for representation.
15:25 - ANO maintains strong lead after 15 percent of votes counted. Andrej Babiš’s ANO Party continued to lead the Czech parliamentary elections with 39.3 percent of the vote. The Spolu coalition followed with 19.3 percent, and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) ranked third with 10.8 percent, according to official data from volby.cz. Six parties would enter the Chamber of Deputies based on current results: ANO, Spolu, STAN, SPD (8.4 percent), Motorists (7.6 percent), and the Pirates (6.9 percent). The Enough! (Stačilo!) movement remained below the five-percent threshold with 4.7 percent.
15:08 - ANO Party leads early count ahead of Spolu, Mayorsd and Independents, SPD, and Motorists With five percent of districts counted, Andrej Babiš’s ANO movement led the Czech parliamentary elections with 39.7 percent of the vote, followed by the Spolu coalition with 19.2 percent and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) with 10.7 percent. According to preliminary data from volby.cz, six parties would enter the Chamber of Deputies: ANO Party, Spolu coalition, STAN, SPD (8.3 percent), Motorists Themselves (7.8 percent), and the Pirates (6.5 percent). The Stačilo! movement was just below the five-percent threshold with 4.7 percent.
In 2021, Spolu narrowly defeated ANO by less than one percentage point, forming a government later led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
15:00 - Cold start at Mayors and Independents Party (STAN) headquarters as heating fails. The atmosphere is literally freezing on Saturday afternoon. As reported by Czech Radio journalist Lucie Pávová, the heating system had failed, forcing the team to rely on small electric heaters for the past hour. While the main room has warmed slightly, the catering area remains several degrees colder, with people standing in sweaters and even jackets as they await election results.
14:17 - More than 1,000 Czech citizens cast their ballots at the Czech Embassy in Brussels, consul Pavel Štícha told Czech Press Agency shortly before polls closed. The turnout was higher than in the 2021 parliamentary elections and comparable to the 2023 presidential vote. Some voters came with certificates issued by Czech authorities, while others were registered on the embassy’s special voter list. The busiest period was Friday evening, when people queued in the rain outside the embassy. Although no exact data exist, several thousand Czechs live in Brussels, many working for Czech or EU institutions.
14:08 - When will the results be known? Based on previous experience, results from most polling districts in Czechia are expected to be available by around 6 p.m. on Saturday. During the last parliamentary elections four years ago, final results were announced at 10:24 p.m. This year, however, the process may take slightly longer due to the introduction of postal voting for the first time.
14:00 - The Czech parliamentary elections have officially ended. Polling stations closed on Saturday, concluding two days of voting across the country. With polling stations now closed, attention has shifted to the counting of votes. The first preliminary results are expected to be released in the course of Saturday afternoon and evening. Radio Prague International will continue to provide live updates as the numbers are reported.
Strong turnout in Prague and Central Bohemia
According to information collected by the Czech News Agency, overall turnout exceeded 50 percent nationwide. In many districts, more than 60 percent of registered voters cast their ballots, and in some locations participation rates reached record levels.
In Prague, representatives of local town halls reported turnout around 60 percent between 10:00 and 11:00 on Saturday morning. In Prague 1, 55 percent of voters had taken part. The district also held a local referendum on banning electric scooters and other issues, where turnout reached 35 percent.
High participation was also reported in Central Bohemia. In Beroun, 62 percent of voters cast their ballots, while Nymburk, Kolín, and Kutná Hora each reported 60 percent. In Benešov, 58 percent of eligible citizens voted in the parliamentary election, while 43 percent participated in a simultaneous referendum on demolishing former barracks.
Fewer problems with electronic IDs
This year’s elections were the first in which voters could use electronic IDs, known as eDoklady, to prove their identity. On Friday, the system experienced heavy overload as hundreds of thousands of citizens attempted to update their documents simultaneously, causing delays at polling stations. The situation improved on Saturday.
Jakub Palata, spokesperson for the government’s Digital and Information Agency, told the Czech News Agency that the system had stabilized: “We monitored the situation and it was markedly better than on Friday. By Saturday afternoon the only remaining issue concerned registrations on Android.”
Despite the improvements, officials advised citizens to bring their physical identity cards or passports to polling stations to avoid complications.
Challenges ahead for the next government
As the vote counting began, experts pointed to the challenges awaiting the new government. Transport specialists stressed that infrastructure development would be a top priority, requiring sufficient funding not only for new highways but also for the maintenance of existing roads and modernization of the rail network.
According to Ivo Drahotský of the University of Pardubice, the lack of a long-term infrastructure strategy remained a systemic weakness. “Planning often focused on new construction without allocating resources for maintenance and repair,” he explained.
Zdeněk Lokaj of the Czech Technical University added that unfinished projects such as the D35, D43, and the Prague ring road needed to be completed. He also highlighted the potential of inland water transport and digitalization in improving efficiency and reducing emissions.
Both experts emphasized that public transport networks must become more reliable and better connected if they were to attract more passengers. “If buses or trains ran too infrequently, people simply would not use them,” Drahotský warned.
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