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Right-wing coalition wins Czech parliamentary elections — TV

Czech President Milos Zeman said earlier that he would entrust the biggest party in the parliament with forming the new government

© EPA-EFE/STRINGER

PRAGUE, October 9. /TASS/. With about 99.9% of votes counted, a right-wing coalition, Together, won the 2021 legislative election in the Czech Republic, the CNN Prima News TV channel reported on Saturday citing the Czech Statistical Office.

Together (SPOLU), which comprises the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), TOP09 Party and the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People’s Party (KDU-CSL), gathered 27.15% of the vote. Nevertheless, the strongest political party in the lower chamber of the Czech parliament will be the ANO movement of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, which got 27.15% and will receive at least 70 out of the 200 mandates.

Czech President Milos Zeman said earlier that he would entrust the biggest party in the parliament with forming the new government. He is scheduled to meet with Babis, who is his close ally, at 11:00 local time (noon Moscow time) on Sunday.

Other political forces that crossed the 5% threshold and made it into the parliament are the coalition of the liberal Pirate party and the centrist Mayors party (STAN) with 15.59% of the vote, as well as the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (9.57%).

The turnout was 65.41%.

The elections were a disaster for left-wing forces. The Social Democrats (CSSD) party and the Communist Party (KSCM), which were represented in previous parliaments, failed to win any mandates this time. CSSD party leader, First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said he would step down from his post in the party.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis has already admitted ANO’s defeat and congratulated Together on winning the election.

"Nevertheless, we will have the same number of mandates. <…> We [ANO] are the strongest party. <…> We lost because of Prague’s [stance]. Prague just can’t stand Babis," he said.

According to his estimates, ANO will have 71 or 72 seats in the new parliament. The Civic Democratic Party is projected to get 34 mandates.

Babis said he expected Zeman to entrust him with forming the new government.

According to the Czech Television, ANO will receive 72 out of the 200 mandates, the Together coalition will get 71 mandates.

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