Will Trump-style billionaire return to power? What the Czech election means for Ukraine

Czechs head to the polls this Friday and Saturday in an election which could impact the country’s support for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala faces being voted out of office, with billionaire businessman Andrej Babis the current favourite to win. Babis, the 71-year-old leader of right-wing opposition party ANO (Action for Dissatisfied Citizens), has been dubbed the "Czech Trump" due to his business empire and populist leanings.

The Slovak-born chemicals, farming and media tycoon has vowed that if he wins this weekend, he will stop sending military aid to Ukraine, insisting that instead funds should be redirected to support Czech citizens. Babis previously served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021, when he suffered defeat to Fiala's centre-right SPOLU (Together) coalition, a pro-Ukraine administration.

Babis's party pledges to cap energy prices and oppose EU climate and migration pacts. Critics have warned that the plans could increase national debt, plunging the country into a deeper cost of living crisis.

Thousands of people protested in Prague's Old Town Square last weekend in a rally organised by anti-extremist movement A Million Moments for Democracy, where speakers warned the current populist surge could threaten the country's democratic direction. But although the favourite to win, Babis could still face difficulties forming a government.

He is forecast to win about one third of the vote, but 101 seats are required to form a working majority in the country's 200-seat Chamber of Deputies - the lower house of parliament. So far opposition parties have ruled out working with ANO, meaning it could need to partner with smaller fringe parties to form a cabinet.

These could include explicitly anti-NATO, anti-EU parties such as the hard-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and hard-left Stacilo. In addition, President Petr Pavel, a retired NATO general, who appoints the prime minister and cabinet, has said he may refuse any ministers or cabinet members pushing anti-EU and anti-NATO agendas and defended Czechia sending military aid to Ukraine.

Who is Andrej Babis? Babis, who boasts a $4.3bn (£3.2bn) net worth according to Forbes, co-founded the far-right Patriots for Europe faction in the European Parliament alongside Hungarian populist leader Viktor Orban. His fortune is thanks to his ownership of agro-chemical business empire Agrofert, which includes more than 200 companies, and the purchase of key media outlets.

Babis often wears a red cap inscribed with "Strong Czechia.