ROB CAMERON

Czech voters are likely to hand power to controversial billionaire Andrej Babiš, the country’s second-richest man who ran on an anti-corruption platform but is himself under investigation. The campaign has been dominated by big themes including euro adoption, immigration and the relationship with Russia, but also some more obscure ones, such as the price of butter.

Mobile operators say the number of people who attended a demonstration against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Sunday was just shy of 300,000, making it the largest mass protest since the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Protestors want the billionaire businessman to step down over a criminal investigation into allegations of EU subsidy fraud.

The thirtieth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution against the Communist regime has been overshadowed by contemporary protests against the country’s prime minister, Andrej Babiš. An estimated 200,000 people packed Letná plain – scene of the largest protests in 1989 – while Mr Babiš was heckled as he lit a candle to students beaten by riot police on Národní street.

Czech authorities have pleaded with people to respect Covid restrictions over Easter. The plan is for children to go back to school in a week’s time, but they say that could be jeopardised if people mingle now in big numbers. The infection numbers are now falling, albeit slowly. The country is no longer at the very apex of the European charts. But it’s not far behind.

The people of the Czech Republic go to the polls this weekend, as billionaire-turned-politician Andrej Babiš seeks another four years in office. Mr Babiš, leader of the populist ANO party, faces a tough challenge from the centre-right opposition and also has the far right nipping at his heels. And his fate is intertwined with the health of ailing President Miloš Zeman.

Petr Pavel was an unlikely choice for president of a country which has shied away from militarism. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed everything. Pavel – once head of the Czech armed forces and number two at NATO – defeated former PM Andrej Babiš by a clear margin in January 2023, and gave his first international TV interview to the BBC.