Andrej Babiš is the Czech Republic's richest man, and served as prime minister from 2017 until 2021. He was also the losing candidate in this year's presidential election, which to some extent ended up being one of those contests known for the person who lost it, rather than who won. 

Babiš’s premiership, far from the runaway modernising success he promised, was dominated by scandals focused on alleged conflicts of interest. To some, he also signified a dilution of the Czech Republic's support for Western institutions.

Babiš was no longer prime minister by the time the War in Ukraine started last year, but Putin’s invasion cast a long shadow over February’s presidential election. Babiš, forced to pander to voters by promoting causes it wasn’t clear he believed in, promised a less-than-steadfast support for Ukraine, with many claiming his presidency would constitute the Czech Republic being a bridge between East and West. 

My guest for this conversation is Jan Molaček. Jan is the Editor of Denik N, which is the Czech Republic’s first crowdfunded digital newspaper. He also works on Radiozurnal, the biggest radio station in his country.