The party of billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis topped the Czech general election on Saturday with 97 percent of the vote counted, according to official results.

His ANO (Yes) party, campaigning on pledges of welfare and halting military aid to Ukraine, scored 35.2 percent of the vote in country of 10.9 million people.

The Together grouping of outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala came second with 22.9 percent, ahead of its coalition partner STAN with 11.1 percent.

A total of six parties looked on track to enter the parliament of the EU and NATO member country.

Fiala’s government has provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.

But Babis’s return to power could draw the Czech Republic closer to EU mavericks Hungary and Slovakia which

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