Anti-EU ‘Czech Trump’ poised to win polls

PRague: A billionaire populist dubbed the “Czech Trump” looked poised to win the country’s two-day general election that started yesterday, as polls suggest anti-EU parties could make gains that analysts warn could plunge the country into chaos.

ANO (Yes) movement chief Andrej Babis (pic) drove home his anti-euro, anti-migrant and anti-corruption ticket in a final debate with Social Democrat rival Lubomir Zaoralek as campaigning wound down late Thursday.

Despite being indicted for fraud, Babis has captured around 25% to 30% voter support in recent polls.

This puts ANO miles ahead of its current coalition partner, the left wing Social Democrats, who scored just 12.5% in a recent Median agency poll.

Far-right and far-left anti-EU parties are also expected to make strong gains, with polls suggesting a fragmented parliament with up to eight parties and few obvious coalition allies.

“We need the maximum of votes, we need the people to vote, to realise that this is crucial for the fate of our country,” Babis said.

While Babis has vowed to steer clear of the eurozone and echoes other eastern EU leaders who accuse Brussels of attempting to limit national sovereignty by imposing rules like migrant quotas, he favours a united Europe and baulks at talk of a “Czexit”.

“We don’t want (EU migrant) quotas, we don’t want migrants here, we want to stop migration and finally want to have a prime minister who will tell Mrs Merkel and Mr Macron that the solution lies outside Europe,” Babis said in the TV debate.

“We are standing against the traditional parties and we would like to get the chance to show them that the government can be managed in a different way than what our citizens are used to,” he said.

The 63-year-old Slovak-born chemicals, food and media tycoon appeared certain to win despite a host of scandals including an indictment over alleged EU subsidy fraud, and suspicions he was a Communist police agent in former Czechoslovakia. — AFP