Babiš is back: Billionaire’s return steers Czechia away from Ukraine and toward Hungary and Slovakia

PRAGUE (AP) — Four years ago, it seemed that the days in politics of billionaire Andrej Babiš were numbered.

The ANO movement Babiš created (an abbreviation of Action of Dissatisfied Citizens that means “Yes” in Czech) to counter mainstream political parties was defeated in October 2021 by a coalition of pro-Western groups. The populist leader was expected to make good on his promise to quit, rather than end up in opposition.

Instead, he immediately launched an aggressive campaign blaming the ruling coalition for every problem, from the energy crisis to soaring inflation. He promised to He promised to revoke a much-resented increase in the state pension age and to end help for Ukraine, while ridiculing Prime Minister Petr Fiala for being a better prime minister of Ukraine than of Czechia.

On Saturday, ANO claimed its greatest election victory since its foundation in 2011.

“It’s for me the culmination of my political career,” said Babiš, 71, who was a member of the Communist Party before the 1989 Velvet Revolution in the former Czechoslovakia and has drawn comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Babiš's victory deprives Ukraine of a staunch supporter and steers Czechia toward the pro-Russian path taken by Hungary and Slovakia.

He is expected to join the ranks of Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia, whose countries have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, continue to import Russian oil and oppose sanctions on Russia.

Babiš said he was planning to abandon an internationally recognized Czech initiative that acquires artillery shells for Ukraine on markets outside the EU. He also opposes a NATO commitment to significantly increase defense spending and criticized a deal to purchase 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets.

In Europe, Babiš already joined forces with his friend Orbán to create a new alliance in the European Parliament, the " Patriots for Europe," to represent hard-right groups critical of EU migration and climate policies, and favoring national sovereignty.

Tomáš Weiss, associate professor of international relations at Charles University in Prague, said he would expect Babiš to apply a pragmatic approach to the EU due to his business interests. Babiš might be a vocal EU critic at home but would not present big obstacles in Brussels, he said.

“Fico and Orbán might be celebrating but they’re not the players who matter at the European level," Weiss said.

Babiš made his first impact on the Czech political scene in the 2013 election, finishing second and becoming finance minister.

Among his moves, he proposed lowering taxes on beer by more than half — a policy which resonated among the beer-loving Czechs.

As the owner of the Agrofert conglomerate of some 200 agriculture, food, chemical and media companies, Babiš faced allegations that finance ministry officials used their powers to force his business competitors into liquidation. Fearing a combination of wealth and power, Parliament approved a law that compelled Babiš to transfer Agrofert to an independent trust fund. He was eventually fired as finance minister in 2017 over unexplained business dealings.

His popularity was unharmed, and he won the 2017 election, becoming prime minister and forming a minority government with the Social Democrats that governed with the support of the maverick Communists.

During his turbulent term in office, police recommended that he should be indicted over alleged fraud involving EU subsidies. A quarter of a million people took to the streets — the biggest such demonstrations since 1989 — twice in 2019 to demand that Babis step down due to his scandals, including the conflict of interest over EU subsidies.

He was hit by yet another scandal in 2021 that linked him and hundreds of other wealthy people to offshore accounts in findings dubbed the “Pandora Papers.” He lost the parliamentary election a short time afterward and two years later was defeated in a run for the largely ceremonial post of president by Petr Pavel, a retired army general.

Babis bounced back but problems remain.

He still faces fraud charges in the EU subsidies case and the new Parliament will have to lift his official immunity for a court to issue a verdict.

He also has to meet the requirements of an amended conflict of interest law. The current stricter legislation does not allow the transfer of ownership to trust funds or relatives.

Without a majority in the lower house, Babiš prefers to govern alone, but his minority Cabinet would need the tacit support of the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves to win a mandatory parliamentary confidence vote to rule.

Another option for the three is to rule together with a comfortable majority. Babiš shares with the Motorists the rejection of EU climate and migration policies and other issues but the Freedom party wants to lead the country out of the EU and NATO, a red line for Babiš and the Motorists.

There are also questions over the stability of any support from the Freedom party, which ran on a joint ticket with three fringe extremists groups, with the possibility that disagreements over numerous issues might come to light soon.

“We’re entering an unknown future,” analyst Vladimíra Dvořáková from the Czech Technical University in Prague told Czech public television.

Chairman of opposition "ANO" (YES) movement Andrej Babis leaves after talking with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel a day after he won the parliamentary elections, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Chairman of opposition "ANO" (YES) movement Andrej Babis arrives to presidential office, a day after he got majority of votes at the parliamentary elections, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Chairman of opposition "ANO" (YES) movement Andrej Babis arrives to presidential office, a day after he got majority of votes at the parliamentary elections, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Chairman of opposition "ANO" (YES) movement Andrej Babis leaves after talking with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel a day after he won the parliamentary elections, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Chairman of opposition "ANO" (YES) movement Andrej Babis speaks to the media after talking with Czech Republic President Petr Pavel a day after he won the parliamentary elections, in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

CHICAGO (AP) — Matthew Boyd struck out 10 while pitching into the sixth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 on Wednesday.

Nico Hoerner had three hits for Chicago on a chilly and windy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Matt Shaw had two hits and two RBIs, and Alex Bregman reached three times in the rubber game of the three-game series.

Boyd (1-1) allowed two runs, one earned, and two hits over 5 2/3 innings in his second start of the season. The left-hander was tagged for six runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 10-4 loss to Washington on opening day.

Zach Neto had two of the Angels' four hits. Yusei Kikuchi (0-1) was charged with five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Chicago grabbed control with five runs in the third inning. Miguel Amaya walked and scored from first on Hoerner's double into the gap in left-center. Bregman singled in Hoerner, and Dansby Swanson drove in Ian Happ with a sacrifice fly. Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong contributed two-out RBI singles.

First-year Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki wanted a replay review of the play at the plate when Amaya scored but was denied by the umpires because he took too long to decide on the challenge.

The Angels chased Boyd while scoring two runs in the sixth. Jo Adell singled in Neto, and Mike Trout scampered home on an error on Bregman at third.

The Cubs tacked on an unearned run in the seventh. Trout dropped Carson Kelly's leadoff flyball to center for an error, and Kelly scored on Shaw's one-out single.

Angels: Following an off day, LHP Reid Detmers (0-0, 5.79 ERA) starts for the Angels in their home opener on Friday night. RHP Bryan Woo (0-0, 3.00 ERA) takes the mound for Seattle.

Cubs: RHP Cade Horton (1-0, 2.84 ERA) starts the opener of a weekend series at Cleveland on Friday. LHP Joey Cantillo (0-0, 4.91 ERA) gets the ball for the Guardians.

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Los Angeles Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, left, attempts to challenge a play with an umpire during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong watches his RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago Cubs' Matt Shaw watches his RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago Cubs starter Matthew Boyd delivers a pitch during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Chicago, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)