Andrej Babiš

Andrej Babiš (Czech pronunciation: [ˈandrɛj ˈbabɪʃ]; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech politician and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. Babiš previously served as the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from 2014 to 2017 in Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet. He has been the founding leader of the political party ANO 2011 since 2012.

During a lengthy business career, he became one of the richest people in the Czech Republic, with an estimated net worth of about $4.04 billion according to Bloomberg. He is the owner of the Agrofert holding company, one of the country's largest firms.Babiš was appointed Prime Minister on 6 December 2017, after ANO 2011 emerged as the largest party at the 2017 Czech legislative election. He was the oldest and wealthiest person ever to become Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, as well as the first from a different party than the Civic Democratic Party or the Social Democratic Party. Babiš is also the first Prime Minister born outside the Czech Republic, the first to hold dual citizenship, and the first whose native language is not Czech.

Babiš's political allies during his time as Prime Minister were President Miloš Zeman, the Czech Social Democratic Party, and the Communist Party. His administration increased pensions, child tax credits and public sector salaries. Major political events of his term include the expulsion of over 80 Russian diplomats and resident spies following the disclosure of Russian involvement in the 2014 Vrbětice explosions, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed around 35,000 people in the Czech Republic, triggering criticism of the government's response. His time in office was also marked by legal disputes with the European Commission due to accusations of conflict of interest and allegations of EU subsidy fraud. Babiš was succeeded as Prime Minister by Petr Fiala on 17 December 2021, following the 2021 election. Babiš was a candidate in the 2023 Czech presidential election and lost in the second round to Petr Pavel.

Following allegations that an anonymous company he controlled unlawfully received a €2M subsidy from the European Regional Development Fund, Babiš was investigated by both the Czech police and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) from 2015 to 2017. He was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and formally charged on 9 October 2017. His trial began in Prague in September 2022 and resulted in acquittal in January 2023. Babiš has received sustained criticism over a number of issues, including alleged conflicts of interest, his past role in the StB, and allegations of intimidation of opponents. Babiš remains one of the most popular and divisive politicians in the Czech Republic.