President Petr Pavel on Monday, 15 December 2025, appointed the ministers of a new Czech government led by Andrej Babiš, completing a change of administration after ANO’s election victory earlier this autumn.
The ceremony took place at Prague Castle, where ministers took the oath of office before moving to the Straka Academy, the seat of the prime minister and the venue for cabinet meetings.
The new administration is a coalition between Babiš’s ANO movement, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD), and the Motorists for Themselves party. Under the coalition agreement described by Czech media, ANO holds eight ministerial posts in addition to the premiership, while the Motorists take four ministries and SPD takes three. The coalition commands 108 seats in the 200-member Chamber of Deputies, and is expected to face a confidence vote on 13 January 2026.
Four deputy prime ministers were named: Karel Havlíček, appointed as minister of industry and trade; Alena Schillerová, appointed as finance minister; Petr Macinka, appointed as foreign minister; and Jaromír Zuna, appointed as defence minister. The government is expected to decide internally who will serve as first deputy prime minister.
In his address at the swearing-in, President Pavel underlined the importance of Czech membership of NATO and the European Union, and urged the incoming cabinet to pursue a “responsible and constructive” approach within both organisations. In reporting of the ceremony, he also warned against the Czech Republic acting as a “blocker” inside the EU, signalling the limits of the president’s tolerance for confrontational tactics in Brussels.
Babiš’s return marks his second time leading the Czech government, having previously served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021. He was appointed prime minister by Pavel on 9 December and moved quickly to form a cabinet in time for a first round of external meetings and the approaching European Council on 18–19 December.
Foreign policy is likely to be a primary test for the new coalition. Babiš has publicly argued against expanding EU climate measures and has criticised EU migration rules. On Ukraine, he has said the Czech Republic would not guarantee new financing and has indicated he would review Czech initiatives linked to military support, including an ammunition procurement effort associated with the outgoing government. While his coalition partners have promoted referendum language on EU and NATO questions, Babiš reiterated that the country would remain in both organisations.
The composition of the cabinet also points to a reshaping of Prague’s external posture. The Motorists’ leader, Petr Macinka, takes the foreign ministry and the coalition’s programme includes distancing the country from its previous level of support for Ukraine while pushing back against parts of the EU’s Green Deal.
Monday’s transition included a formal handover between Babiš and the outgoing prime minister, Petr Fiala. Czech reporting said Fiala provided Babiš with an approximately 80-page “state of the country” report summarising the outgoing administration’s record and intended to support an orderly transfer of power. The new ministers then held an initial technical meeting lasting about an hour.
The coalition has also moved to manage potential controversies around ministerial nominations. Czech media noted that Motorists MP Filip Turek did not attend the ceremony for health reasons, and that responsibility for the environment portfolio would be handled on an acting basis by Macinka. President Pavel has previously raised concerns about Turek’s approach to facts and rules, and indicated that a meeting this year was unlikely.
A continuing issue for Babiš is the long-running scrutiny of his business interests. He is the founder of the Agrofert conglomerate, a large Central European holding active across sectors including agriculture and chemicals. In the past, his political role and the receipt of EU and state funds by companies linked to him have been cited as potential conflicts of interest. Ahead of his appointment, Babiš said he would move Agrofert into an independently governed trust structure, describing the step as necessary to resolve the conflict-of-interest question.
Babiš has also begun early engagement in Brussels. On 11 December, he met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to the Commission’s audiovisual record of the encounter, an early indication that the new prime minister intends to manage relations with EU institutions even as he disputes particular policies.
