Despite a slip in popularity over the last several months, Andrej Babiš’ ANO party is still projected to win next weekend’s Czech parliamentary election, according to recent public opinion polls, with the Social Democrats (ČSSD) and the Communists (KSCM) competing for second. The Civic Democrats (ODS) are forecasted to come in fourth. ANO is projected to take around 25 percent of the vote (down from 30 percent earlier this year) with ČSSD and KSCM expected to grab just over 10 percent each. ODS is expected to nab just under 10 percent of the vote. The Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, led by Tomio Okamura, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09 are all expected to win seats in the Chamber of Deputies, as well as, for the first time, the Czech Pirate Party (ČPS). Polls show that a total of eight political parties could gain seats to the Chamber of Deputies for the first time in two decades. Voter turnout could hit 60 percent, the polls suggest. The election takes place Friday and Saturday.
