ANO 2011
ANO, registered as ANO 2011, is a right-wing populist political party in the Czech Republic led by businessman and current Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Formed in 2011, the party finished second in the first elections it contested in 2013, entering government as a junior partner to the Czech Social Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. After large gains in the 2017 election, these two parties switched places, with Babiš becoming prime minister in an ANO-led government with the Social Democrats as the junior partner, plus external support from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, a post-revolution first for the country. ANO was narrowly defeated in the 2021 election by the Spolu coalition and went into opposition for the first time. The party has performed consistently strongly in Czech elections since 2013, winning every European Parliament election it has entered, and participating in regional and municipal administrations around the country.
The party's ideological character is contested by political scientists, although it is widely considered to be populist in nature. After being formed predominantly as an anti-corruption vehicle, the party has at different times been considered centrist, liberal, conservative, right-wing, social democratic, or centre-left, by different commentators, leading to a further characterisation as a syncretic or catch-all party. Since the 2024 European Parliament election, the party has positioned itself to the right, co-founding Patriots for Europe, a group in the European Parliament that is made up of Eurosceptic parties that primarily adhere to right-wing populism and national conservatism.
History
Foundation
The party's founding was preceded by interventions from leader and founder Andrej Babiš commenting on systemic corruption in the Czech political system. It was established as an association in November 2011 under the name Action of Dissatisfied Citizens, and formally registered as a political party in the Czech Republic under the name ANO 2011 on 11 May 2012. In the 2013 parliamentary election held on 25 and 26 October, ANO won 18.7% of the vote and 47 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, finishing in second place behind the Social Democrats.First government participation (2014–2017)
On 29 January 2014, the Cabinet of Social Democrat Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka was sworn in, with ANO and the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party as junior coalition partners. On 24–25 May 2014, ANO came first in the 2014 European Parliament election, winning 16.13% of votes and four seats. The party joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament. On 10 September 2014, ANO member Věra Jourová was named European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality in the Juncker Commission. On 21 November 2014, ANO was granted full membership of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party at a congress in Lisbon.In the 2014 senate and municipal elections held on 10–11 October 2014, ANO won four seats in the Senate, and was the largest party in 8 of the 10 biggest cities in the Czech Republic, including Prague. The party took mayoral offices in the three largest cities, and Adriana Krnáčová became the first female mayor of Prague. However, many of the municipal coalitions involving ANO subsequently dissolved due to disagreements within the party.
In the run-up to the 2016 Czech regional elections, Babiš started Babiš's Cafe, a television show consisting of interviews with Babiš by Pavla Charvátová, as well as viewers' questions. Two parties split from ANO citing a lack of democracy and discussion within the party: Change for People and PRO 2016, the latter of which was joined by numerous local councillors and mayors from ANO. Some of those leaving attributed their departure to conflicts related to candidate selection, alleging that the main criterion for candidates to regional councils was loyalty, rather than ability. ANO also lost one MP in July 2016 when Kristýna Zelienková left the party.
ANO won the 2016 regional elections and the first round of the 2016 senate election. The party came first in nine regions and second in the other four regions; its victory in South Bohemia was particularly unexpected. ANO emerged from the election with five governors, one of whom, the Karlovy Vary Governor Jana Vildumetzová, became chair of the Association of Regions. Three ANO candidates were elected in the second round of the senate election, considered a disappointing result for the party. On 11 October 2017, MEP Pavel Telička announced his departure from the party. Another MEP, Petr Ježek, left ANO on 23 January 2018.
Minority government (2017–2021)
On 20–21 October 2017, ANO won the 2017 Czech parliamentary election with 29.6% of the vote. ANO formed the short-lived first Babiš government with independent ministers on 13 December 2017, failing a vote of confidence on 16 January 2018. On 12 July 2018 the second Babiš government was formed, with the Social Democrats participating as the junior coalition partner. The cabinet received external support from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.In the 2018 Cezch municipal elections, the party again came first, but lost its mayoral offices of Prague and Brno to the Czech Pirate Party and the Civic Democratic Party, respectively. In May 2019, ANO came first in the 2019 European Parliament election with 21.2% of the vote, returning six MEPs. In the 2020 Cezch regional elections, the party lost two governors' offices, but joined various regional coalitions, forming a cordon sanitaire against the Communist Party and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy.
Opposition (2021–2025)
ANO went into the 2021 Czech parliamentary election leading in opinion polls, but finished second behind the Spolu coalition, though with a higher number of seats. Following the 2024 European Parliament election on 21 June 2024, the party unilaterally withdrew from both the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and Renew Europe group. On 30 June 2024, Babiš launched the Patriots for Europe, along with Prime Minister of Hungary and Fidesz party leader Viktor Orbán and Freedom Party of Austria leader Herbert Kickl. Patriots for Europe reached the criteria for becoming a European Parliament group on 8 July. ANO won the 2025 Czech parliamentary election and subsequently entered negotiations to form a government with Freedom and Direct Democracy and Motorists for Themselves.Coalition government (2025–present)
ANO negotiated a coalition with the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy and the national-conservative Motorists for Themselves. The government was sworn in on 15 December 2025.On 24 January 2025, Babiš was re-elected unopposed as ANO leader, with 196 out of 209 votes.
Ideology and platform
ANO's political position is debated among politicians and political scientists. Political scientists historically placed ANO in the centre, or centre-right, while in latter years the party focused on left-leaning voters and promoted policies described as centre-left, or even left-wing, until 2024. Bne IntelliNews evaluated ANO as taking a right-wing direction after it left Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and Renew Europe in 2024, while others have described the party as conservative, centre-right populist, and right-wing populist. Babiš himself stated in an interview in 2014 that ANO was "a right-wing party with social empathy".ANO's ideology was widely described as simply populist until 2023. ANO 2011 has also been characterised as technocratic, techno-populist, syncretic, and a big tent or catch-all party. Given its former membership in the ALDE Party and Renew Europe, which mostly comprise liberal parties, ANO has also historically been described as liberal, conservative-liberal, centre-right liberal, liberal-conservative, and liberal-populist. Ideologically, the party had similarities with the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party, as well as the now-defunct Public Affairs. Additionally, ANO, or more specifically Babiš, has been compared to Silvio Berlusconi from Forza Italia or US president Donald Trump.
Multiple candidates that were elected for the party have left ANO since 2014, asserting that it is no longer a liberal party. After the 2017 Czech parliamentary election, ANO formed a minority government with support from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, ending the cordon sanitaire against them. Following the 2021 Czech parliamentary election, Euronews speculated that ANO may try to position itself as a left-wing populist opposition party in order to absorb votes from the Czech Social Democratic Party, KSČM, and Přísaha, all of which remained outside of parliament after failing to cross the required 5% threshold. KSČM also endorsed Babiš in the 2023 Czech presidential election. ANO has gradually shifted to the right. In early 2023, many from the party leadership signalled the party's shift towards conservatism, both socially and fiscally, as Babiš was cooperating with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and the Conservative Political Action Conference. The agenda for the party's 2023 conference specifically stated Babiš to be a "conservative leader". The ANO leadership has also criticised the centre-right Civic Democratic Party, claiming that it is no longer right-wing but is instead in the "progressive camp" with the Czech Pirate Party.