Zeman met with his longtime ally Babiši Day after the Babiš-led populist party “Disgruntled Citizens’ Action” (UN) lost to the opposition center-right coalition “Together”.
Zeman had previously made it clear that after the election, party leaders, not coalition leaders, would be nominated as prime ministers, hinting that Babish would be the first to be entrusted with trying to form a government.
After talks at the presidential residence outside Prague, Zeman, who suffers from liver problems, was taken to a hospital at the Military University of Prague.
Zemans spent eight nights in the hospital less than a month ago.
After counting all the votes for the coalition “Together”, which consists of three center-right parties – the Civic Democrats, TOP 09 and the Christian Democrats – 27.79% of Czechs voted, while the Babish-led populist party “Disgruntled Citizens” (UN) was supported by only 27 , 12% of voters.
The other association of opposition parties, the Pirate Party and the Central Mayors and the Independents, won 15.62% of the vote.
Thus, the two associations of opposition parties together have secured a majority in the lower house of parliament, winning 108 out of 200 seats. 72 seats in the UN parliament.
Another anti-Muslim far-right party, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), led by Tokyo-born businessman Tomio Okamura, won another 9.56% of the vote.
Until now, the Babiš-led minority government, formed by the United Nations and the Social Democrats (CSSD), has received parliamentary support from the Communists (KSČM).
However, with only 3.60% of the vote, the KSCHM has not been able to overcome the five percent barrier to entry into the lower house of parliament, and thus, for the first time since the end of World War II, the Communists will no longer be represented in parliament.
The Social Democrats, who were supported by only 4.65% of voters, have also lost their representation in parliament.
Voter turnout has reached 65.43%, while in the previous elections in 2017, only 60.84% of eligible voters went to the polls.
