PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s president on Monday asked former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, a populist billionaire, to form a new government after his party’s victory in parliamentary elections.

President Petr Pavel made the announcement after meeting Babiš, whose ANO (YES) staged a comeback in the Oct 3-4 ballot. Babiš has been negotiating a possible majority coalition with the Freedom and Direct Democracy anti-migrant party and the right-wing Motorists for Themselves.

All the three parties are critical of the European Union and reject its environmental, migrant and other policies and their rule is expected to steer the country away from supporting Ukraine in its three-year war against Russia’s invasion.

Babiš promised to present the coalition agreement and its priorities later th

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