Czech Parliamentary Elections: Opposition Victory, President Hospitalized and First-Ever Defeat for Communists

Liberal parties will form a coalition in the Czech parliament.

In the Czech parliamentary elections on October 9, the opposition center-right liberal bloc Spolu won a sensational victory, while the ruling party of Prime Minister came in second place.

More on the emerging liberal coalition, the first-ever defeat of the communists, and the hospitalization of Czech President Miloš Zeman.

Election results

The vote count in the Czech elections showed a sensational defeat for the ruling party that defied forecasts.

Polls and first results from polling stations predicted that the ANO party of incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Babiš would take first place, but data from large cities, which usually arrives last, changed the winner.

After the count, the center-right liberal bloc Spolu took first place with 27.79%. Bloc leader Petr Fiala is likely to become Czech prime minister.

The incumbent ruling party ANO unexpectedly for many came in second with 27.12%.

Another liberal bloc, the Pirate Party and STAN, took third place with 15.5%. The election winners have already begun talks with the bloc on forming a coalition.

The ultra-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party came in fourth place. 

All other parties failed to clear the five percent threshold. For the first time in modern Czech history, the pro-Russian Communist Party was left out of parliament, and no left-wing political force made it in this time either.

Liberal coalition

As expected after the announcement of the election results, the liberal bloc Spolu and the Pirate Party and STAN alliance decided to negotiate a coalition exclusively among themselves.

The political forces agreed to ask President Miloš Zeman to task Petr Fiala, head of the Spolu bloc, with forming the government.

According to Fiala, the memorandum also contains obligations for each of the five parties in the blocs not to negotiate mergers with other forces.

Meanwhile, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, although he immediately acknowledged his party's defeat in the elections, did not give up attempts to stay in power: he proposed coalition talks to the Spolu bloc, which is opposed to him, but the latter ignored the offer.

Zeman's hospitalization

Czech President Miloš Zeman was hospitalized right after his meeting with Prime Minister Babiš.

On the morning of October 10, Czech President Miloš Zeman met with Prime Minister Babiš. Immediately after it ended, an intensive care ambulance took Zeman to the Central Military Hospital.

Zeman's doctor said this was related to an exacerbation of the president's chronic illness, but did not name the diagnosis.

It is not known for certain whether the deterioration of Zeman's health was caused specifically by the current political situation and the subsequent conversation with Babiš. 

As is known, Zeman has long suffered from neuropathy of the lower limbs, which makes it difficult for him to move. This year he has been in a wheelchair at all events.