#Election News: The Czech Republic & The Slovenian Presidential Election

Over the weekend, two Eastern European countries went to the polls. In the Czech Republic for a new government while in Slovenia, for a new President. Find out all of the details of these elections in our latest #Electionnews.

The Results: A Victory for Andrej Babis

All Change for the Czech Republic

With the Czech parliamentary election, the right-wing populist party ANO ousted the traditional political elites. Lead by the millionaire, Andrej Babis – a character who is often likened to Donald Trump, they saw their popularity rise in the election campaign and receiving almost 30% of the popular vote.

The ANO, whose name translates simply to “YES” and “Action for Dissatisfied Citizens party” campaigned on on the back of anti-establishment, anti-immigration, anti-EU rhetoric. The President, Miloš Zeman (who has pro-Russian leanings) congratulated Andrej Babis for the victory and stated that he would name him as PM. Interestingly, Andrej Babis noted after the election that despite his anti-EU tendencies, he is not an opponent to the EU in general. In this light, we can see the ANO’s policies more in line with those in Poland and Austria.

Here you can read all about the recent election in Austria

The victory of the ANO ended 25 years of dominance by the traditional parties. Indeed, it was the political establishment and elites that the ANO used to gather support. Campaigning on a pledge to reduce corruption in government, it is somewhat ironic that Andrej Babis is currently facing allegations of fraud.

Slovenia: First round leads to a run of vote

Slovenia, on the other hand, began the process of electing a new president. The first round of voting was held on Sunday. For a candidate to be elected in the first round, they need to receive a majority. The incumbent president, Borut Pahor, failed to reach a majority in the first round, gaining just 47.1% of votes. This was a disappointment for the incumbent president who was thought to command around 55% of votes.

Ex-comedian and mayor of Kamnik, Marjan Sarec, is Pahor’s opponent but received just 25% of votes cast.

We will keep you posted on the results of second round of elections for the Slovenian presidency. This run-off vote is due to be held on the 12th of November.