Babis' Campaign Leaders Part Ways With ANO, Party To Discuss Election Outcome Next Week

Andrej Babis' defeat in Czechia's presidential election has caused turbulence in the main opposition party ANO, which holds a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The business tycoon and former Prime Minister is the founder and current leader of ANO.

• Seznam Zpravy reports that the party is undergoing an "earthquake." Key members of Babis' campaign team, including media advisor Marek Prchal, spokesman Vladimir Vorechovsky and manager Tunde Bartha said they will part ways with Babis and ANO at the end of the month.
• Frictions in the main opposition party emerged during the campaign as its deputy leader Ivo Vondrak publicly backed Petr Pavel, who eventually won the election. This prompted senior ANO MP Alena Schillerova to call him a "traitor" and call on the party to "deal with" Vondrak.
• Mlada Fronta Dnes reported that senior ANO executives will meet next week to discuss the outcome of the presidential election as well as Vondrak's behaviour. After the election, the deputy leader of ANO told Radiozurnal that Babis "was simply not suitable for the position of president."
• At the same time, some commentators point to the positive takeaways for Babis as ANO leader. He garnered more votes than his party did in the last two parliamentary elections, while attracting the votes of about half of the people who voted for the far-right SPD in 2021, which highlights a reservoir of potential ANO supporters.