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Like Trump, Babis. 63, is a business tycoon and a political populist. His Eurosceptic political party just won the Czech Republic parliamentary election by a freaking landslide.
The country used to be known as Czechoslovakia, but it was too difficult for most people to spell and it peacefully became the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.
With the Babis win, the "politically incorrect" billionaire is now the main contender to become prime minister after coalition negotiations. All the votes are counted and his anti-establishment party (sound familiar?) known as ANO (standing for "Action of Dissatisfied Citizens" and also is the Czech word for 'yes') won 30 percent of the votes. This is about three times more than its closest rival.
The elections were held on October 20th. The Eurosceptic Civic Democratic Party (ODS, oddly enough), the anti-establishment Czech Pirates Party and the anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD) came second, third and fourth respectively with about 11 percent each.
The Communists came in fifth with 7.8 percent, or the entire the lazy, immoral, idiot vote.
The center-left establishment party that finished first in the last election came in sixth with just 7.2 percent of the vote. It consisted of school teachers who kept saying, "We're going to do it over and over again, until we get it right."
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| Happy Czech dancers after the votes were counted |
The Christian Democrats, the center-right establishment party won a mere 5.8 percent of the vote, barely enough to qualify for seats in the parliament.
There were nine parties running overall. The outcome reflects popular disgust with established parties and is the latest in a recent run of successes for European populists, including Germany and Austria.
The new populist popularity shows a shifting political European landscape where out of control multiculturalism and political correctness, along with a huge influx of unassimilable, Islamic migrants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, has bolstered support for anti-establishment protest parties.
Yes, even Europe is beginning to see their foolishness in allowing so many migrants who refuse to assimilate into their country.
Babis's win will strengthen to role of the Visegrad Group (V4), a political alliance of four Central European states: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. They resist mass migration and strongly oppose the continued transference of national sovereignty to the EU.
A stronger V4 will highlight the splits between pro-EU states of Western Europe and the growing Eurosceptic states of Central and Eastern Europe, which will cause the EU to struggle to present a state of unity.
In his victory speech at ANO party headquarters, Babis said:
"This is a huge opportunity to change our country. I would like to assemble a government that will be of the people and for the people and promotes policies that are in their favor."He also assured the people that he wouldn't put the Czech Republic on the path to authoritarianism as some have charged.
Babis has been highly critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "come on in stranger, make yourself comfortable and here's some money to help get you by until you can fill out the paperwork for your benefits," migration policy. He has repeatedly denounced the EU-imposed migrant quotas and other "EU meddling" in Czech politics and this strongly resonates with his people, who have the second-lowest trust in the European Union of all 28 member states.
Only the Greeks have less trust in the EU.
Like Trump, Babis is one of the wealthiest men in the country. And like Trump, he presented himself as a non-ideological results-oriented reformer and promises to run the country like a business after years of what he refers to as corrupt and inept management, like Obama.
But Babis wants the Czech Republic to remain in the EU where unimpeded access to the European single market is necessary to maintain the economic health of the country and has allowed the Czech Republic to have the lowest unemployment rate in the EU. However, he opposes the country adopting the euro because he believes that would constrain national sovereignty and competitiveness.
Babis's biggest pledge in reforming the EU from within, is to deal with migration policy. "I want to play a more important role in Europe. But we have to fight for our interests and make proposals. If I were a prime minister, I would say, 'Close this cursed external European border at last.'"
"I have stopped believing in successful integration and multiculturalism," he said.
"I will not accept refugee quotas for the Czech Republic," he said. "The situation has changed. We see how migrants react in Europe. We must react to the needs and fears of the citizens of our country. We must guarantee the security of Czech citizens. Even if we are punished by sanctions."
Kate Steinle's family would be proud of him, I suspect.
This past June, Babis reiterated that the Czech Republic would not be taking orders from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels:
"We have to fight for what our ancestors built here. If there will be more Muslims than Belgians in Brussels, that's their problem. I don't want that here. They won't be telling us who should live here."Can I get an "Amen?"
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