Telička: Babiš will never let another ANO candidate run for president

The next Czech presidential election won't take place until January 2028, but the crucial campaign groundwork will begin as early as next year. According to former European Commissioner and ex-MEP Pavel Telička, ANO leader Andrej Babiš will never allow anyone but himself to run for president on behalf of the movement.

Incumbent President Petr Pavel has yet to officially confirm he'll seek re-election, though those close to him suggest he intends to run. For the ruling coalition, which views Pavel as the main political counterweight to the opposition, the question now is who from ANO could realistically challenge him.

Zeman stirs the pot

Former President Miloš Zeman reignited the debate by floating former Chamber of Deputies Speaker and ANO deputy chairman Radek Vondráček as a possible candidate for the movement. Several ANO and SPD politicians quickly backed the idea. Vondráček himself didn't rule it out, saying he still needs to have "a discussion with himself" on the matter.

On Thursday, Zeman also admitted in an interview that he himself is weighing a run. "Of course, it appeals to me," he said, adding that he doesn't want to become a "Czech Biden" given his advanced age.

Even a loss wouldn't hurt ANO

According to Telička, there could well be something behind Zeman's words. "Whether this is some kind of litmus test or an attempt to divert attention, one can only guess," he noted.

Telička himself, back in 2015, ahead of the 2018 presidential election, urged ANO to field its own candidate instead of backing Zeman, who was running for re-election at the time. He believes the movement — from which he parted ways ideologically a decade ago — should apply the same tactic now, arguing that even a possible defeat wouldn't harm the party.

"A narrow loss could actually strengthen ANO's position in the next parliamentary election. It's happened before, and it will likely happen again," he said, recalling Andrej Babiš's defeat to Petr Pavel in the 2023 presidential election, where Babiš won nearly 42% of the vote. Two years later, ANO secured 34.5% in the parliamentary election.

Telička believes Babiš could well repeat this strategy, though the public will have to wait roughly another nine months for his final decision.

Political commentator Luděk Staněk remarked: "A presidential campaign is far more personal — it's built around one person's charisma. The idea that ANO would field anyone other than Andrej Babiš is simply laughable." Telička added: "He would never let another politician steal the spotlight while he takes a back seat. It's far more likely there would be no ANO candidate at all."

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz