Ruling party narrowly loses, PM may be out

PRAGUE » Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ centrist party on Saturday narrowly lost the Czech Republic’s parliamentary election, a surprise development that could mean the end of the populist billionaire’s reign in power.

The two-day election to fill 200 seats in the lower house of the Czech Republic’s parliament took place shortly after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported details of Babis’ overseas financial dealings in a project dubbed the “Pandora Papers.” Babis, 67, has denied wrongdoing.

With all the votes counted, the Czech Statistics Office said Together, a liberal-conservative threeparty coalition, captured 27.8% of the vote, beating Babis’ ANO (Yes) party, which won 27.1%.

In a second blow to the populists, another centerleft liberal coalition of the Pirate Party and STAN, a group of mayors, received 15.6% of the vote to finish third, the statistics office reported.