Overview
- President Petr Pavel appointed Babiš after accepting his plan to place the Agrofert conglomerate under an independent administrator to address conflict-of-interest concerns.
- Babiš’s ANO formed a majority with Freedom and Direct Democracy and Motorists for Themselves, controlling 108 of 200 seats and proposing a 16-member cabinet with ANO holding eight posts plus the premiership, Motorists four and Freedom three.
- Brussels fears he could align with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico to slow EU legislation on climate and migration, though he has recently softened talk of canceling Czech ammunition support for Ukraine.
- Full ministerial appointments remain under presidential review, with Motorists’ environment pick Filip Turek under police investigation over alleged rape and domestic violence and facing scrutiny over past conduct reports.
- The new prime minister still faces a pending fraud case over alleged misuse of EU subsidies, and any verdict would require parliament to lift his immunity.