STORY: As votes were counted on Saturday afternoon on the second day of the Czech elections, billionaire and former Prime Minister Andrej Babis's populist ANO party was projected to win a parliamentary election but fall short of a majority, a prediction model by agencies Stem and Stem/Mark for broadcaster CNN Prima News showed.

Polls closed at 2 p.m. (1200 GMT), with results due within a few hours in the central European nation where Babis was expected to fall short of a majority in parliament and need to find partners among other parties to govern.

A change from the current centre-right cabinet would boost Europe's populist, anti-immigration camp and could harden opposition to the European Union. Babis is running on pledges to raise wages and lift growth, while reducing aid for Ukraine.

Czechs endured surges in inflation after the global pandemic and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and have only slowly recovered from one of Europe's worst declines in real incomes.

That, as well as several corruption scandals, damaged Prime Minister Petr Fiala's Spolu coalition and its liberal government allies, who focused on a gradual reduction of the budget deficit.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (OCTOBER 4, 2025) (REUTERS-Access all)

1. MAN WALKING PAST POLLING STATION

2. PEOPLE REGISTERING FOR VOTE

3. SEALED BALLOT BOX

4. WOMAN COLLECTING BALLOT PAPERS

5. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CASTING VOTES

6. ELECTION COMMISSION CHIEF ZDENKA POLANKOVA ANNOUNCING END OF VOTING

7. ELECTION OFFICIALS SITTING

8. VARIOUS OF ELECTION OFFICIAL CLOSING DOOR TO POLLING STATION

9. VARIOUS OF ELECTION DOCUMENTS BEING COLLECTED

10. VARIOUS OF BALLOT BOXES BEING OPENED

11. VARIOUS OF POLLING STATION STAFF COUNTING BALLOTS