Czech election winner Babis negotiating coalition with eurosceptics, far right

By Jan Lopatka PRAGUE, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Czech populist billionaire Andrej Babis said he may take ministers nominated by eurosceptic and far-right parties into a government he is trying to form after his ANO party won a parliamentary election but fell short of a majority. Babis initially said after the October 3-4 vote that he wanted an ANO-only minority cabinet backed in parliament by the eurosceptic Motorists and the far-right, anti-EU and anti-NATO SPD, but both parties demanded to be part of the government. "We are negotiating on a common government," Babis said in a video message on Facebook. "SPD should have some number of ministries where they want to have (non-party) experts representing them…, and the Motorists want to have their politicians there who ran in the election." ANO is a member of the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament together with a number of far-right parties. ANO plans to rule out implementing already agreed European Union migration and decarbonisation pacts. The Motorists, also members of the Patriots, oppose the end of combustion engines and other climate policies. SPD wants a referendum on leaving the EU and NATO but Babis has strictly rejected any such steps. SPD has also called for cutting all aid for Ukraine including funds for hundreds of thousands of refugees residing in the Czech Republic. Babis has flagged more focus on domestic and EU affairs and less support for Ukraine than the outgoing centre-right cabinet, including a possible scrapping of a Czech programme shipping artillery ammunition to Kyiv. He has criticised the scheme over what he calls overpricing and a lack of transparency. President Petr Pavel, who helped to set up the ammunition scheme and who is an important player in post-election talks as he appoints the prime minister, urged the parties on Monday to maintain the programme. If Babis reaches a coalition agreement, the formation of the new cabinet would still be weeks away. Pavel on Tuesday called the first meeting of the new lower house of parliament for November 3. The first session will have to elect a new house speaker before the formal resignation of the outgoing cabinet – the earliest point when a new prime minister can be appointed. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; editing by Mark Heinrich)

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