Andrej Babiš, a billionaire and admirer of Donald Trump, was today sworn in again as prime minister of the Czech Republic, two months after parliamentary elections in which his populist ANO party won, and four years after he left the premiership.

Babiš, 71, ruled the Czech Republic from 2017 until 2021, when he was sworn in as prime minister by President Petr Pavel.

“I promise all citizens of the Czech Republic that I will defend their interests, both nationally and internationally,” Babiš told reporters.

As his party holds only 80 seats in parliament — out of a total of 200 — Babiš has reached an agreement to form a coalition government with the eurosceptic Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party and the newly formed right-wing Auto Party (AUTO).

During his election campaign, Babiš pledged to increase social benefits and reduce aid to Ukraine in order to prioritize Czechs and he declared his loyalty to the EU the day after the election.

However, his return to the premiership may be accompanied by a more critical attitude towards Brussels and a rapprochement with Hungary and Slovakia, which have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and oppose sanctions against Russia.

Last year, Babiš co-founded the eurosceptic political group Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Although he considered it at one point, Babiš ultimately rejected the SPD’s request to organize a referendum on the Czech Republic’s membership in the EU.

A former communist who made a large fortune, he heads, among other things, the food and chemical conglomerate Agrofert, founded in 1993. According to Forbes, he is the seventh-richest man in the Czech Republic, a country of 10.9 million people and a member of NATO.

Conflict of interest

Born in Bratislava on September 2, 1954, Babiš chose Czech citizenship after the division of Czechoslovakia in 1993 and entered politics in 2011 by founding the Movement of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO, meaning “yes” in Czech).

After his defeat in the 2021 parliamentary elections, he also failed to win the Czech presidency in 2023, when Petr Pavel was elected.

Pavel made it a condition for appointing Babiš as head of government that he resolve a potential conflict of interest related to his business activities.

Last week, Babiš announced that he was transferring his group’s operations to an independent structure until his children inherit it.

Babiš still faces prosecution for alleged abuse of European funds he received in 2007 — charges he rejects as a smear campaign.

Pavel still has to approve the members of the Babiš government and has already expressed reservations about appointing Filip Turek, an AUTO executive, as environment minister.

Turek is being investigated for domestic violence and rape following a complaint filed by his former partner.