Czech president swears in new coalition government of populist billionaire Andrej Babiš

PRAGUE (AP) — A new Czech coalition government led by populist billionaire Andrej Babiš took office on Monday with an agenda to steer the country away from supporting Ukraine and reject some key European Union policies.

President Petr Pavel swore in the Cabinet at the Prague Castle, ending a pro-Western coalition under former Prime Minister Petr Fiala that made the country a staunch supporter of Ukraine and a haven for hundreds of thousands Ukrainian refugees.

Babiš, previously prime minister in two governments from 2017-2021, and his ANO, or YES, movement, won big in the country’s October election and agreed to form a majority coalition government with two small political groups, the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves.

The parties, which share admiration for U.S. President Donald Trump, created a 16-member Cabinet. ANO holds eight posts and the prime minister’s office. The Motorists have four and the Freedom party three.

The political comeback by Babiš and his new alliance with two small government newcomers are expected to significantly redefine the nation’s foreign and domestic policies.

Babiš is set to join the ranks of Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia, whose countries have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and which oppose EU sanctions on Russia.

Babiš has rejected any financial aid by his country for Ukraine and guarantees for EU loans to the country fighting the Russian invasion.

He already joined forces with his friend Orbán last year to create a new alliance in the European Parliament, the “Patriots for Europe,” to represent hard-right groups. Previously, he was a member of the liberal Renew group.

Babiš suggested his government would abandon a Czech initiative that has managed to acquire some 1.8 million much-needed artillery shells for Ukraine only this year on markets outside the EU.

The Freedom party sees no future for the Czechs in the EU and NATO and wants to expel most of 380,000 Ukrainian refugees in the country. The group does not consider Russia a threat and its members repeat its propaganda.

The Motorists, who are close to former euro-skeptic President Václav Klaus, rejected the EU Green Deal and proposed revivals of coal and relations with Slovakia, Hungary and Poland in an informal group known as V4 whose activities has been stalled over different views of the Russian war against Ukraine.

The Motorists, whose head Petr Macinka became the foreign minister, blamed the former government of damaging relations with Slovakia and Hungary.

The new government promised to present a plan to reduce electricity prices, revoke a pension reform and change the financing of the public radio and television that critics say would would bring the broadcasters under government control.