ANO 2011, the party led by Andrej Babiš, has once again set the tone in the Czech regional elections, securing victories in ten out of 13 regions. Despite this success, the party faces the challenge of finding coalition partners to form governments in many regions. Voter turnout was just under 33%.
In the regional elections, ANO 2011 won in ten out of 13 regions, repeating its performance from four years ago. The ODS, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, along with SPOLU and Starostové pro Liberecký kraj, each won in one region, according to news channel ČT24. ANO won in the regions of Vysočina, Plzeň, Central Bohemia, Ústí nad Labem, Karlovy Vary, Hradec Králové, Pardubice, Zlín, Olomouc, and Moravian Silesia. SPOLU won in South Moravia, ODS in South Bohemia, and Starostové pro Liberecký kraj in the Liberec region.
However, the number of regional victories does not necessarily align with the number of hejtman (provincial governor) posts. After the last elections, despite winning in ten regions, ANO only held the hejtman position in three regions. The same could occur this time. ANO won a total of 292 seats, the largest increase compared to the previous elections, and now has 114 regional deputies. Nevertheless, it may be challenging for the largest opposition party to secure coalition partners for the hejtman positions in many regions.
In the South Bohemian region, the ODS, led by Governor Martin Kuba, received the most votes and has announced plans to form the council independently. The ODS holds a total of 106 regional seats, gaining seven more.
In South Moravia, the SPOLU coalition, led by Jan Grolich (KDU-ČSL), prevailed and signed a memorandum with Starostové pro jižní Moravu in the evening. The coalition agreement is expected to be signed within a week. The Starostové pro Liberecký kraj, led by Martin Půta, won for the fourth consecutive time and is ready to negotiate cooperation in the Liberec region with ANO and SPOLU.
Andrej Babiš, leader of the ANO movement, described his party’s victory as ‘wonderful’ and announced his intention to replicate this success in next year’s lower house elections. According to Babiš, the election results reflect the ‘devastation’ of the Czech Republic caused by the five-party coalition government. At a press conference, Babiš emphasized that ANO had successfully mobilized its voters, attributing the victory to the party’s intensive work in the parliamentary opposition. Polls had predicted ANO’s success, which was confirmed in the European elections in May. ANO then formed a right-wing populist alliance with Herbert Kickl’s Austrian FPÖ and Hungary’s ruling party, Fidesz. This alliance, ‘Patriots for Europe,’ is now the third-largest political group in the European Parliament.
Prime Minister and ODS Chairman Petr Fiala commented that the election results were neither a particular success nor a fatal failure for the ODS. He particularly praised the governors of South Bohemia and Hradec Králové, Martin Kuba and Martin Červíček (both ODS). Fiala acknowledged that ANO had emerged stronger from the elections and had greater coalition potential, but stressed the need for further negotiations.
