Andrej Babiš, the self-proclaimed "Trumpist" and billionaire who won last month's Czech election, has refused to sell his vast business empire but insisted he will resolve a conflict of interest that threatens to prevent him from becoming prime minister, the British newspaper The Guardian reports.
Babiš, whose ANO party finished convincingly first in the October elections but failed to secure a majority in parliament, said in a social media post on Thursday that he would not sell his Agrofert conglomerate, which encompasses agriculture, the food industry and chemical production.
"I have said many times that I will never sell Agrofert. I have said many times that I will resolve the conflict of interest in accordance with Czech and European laws," said Babiš, whose wealth is estimated at $3,9 billion.
"This isn't like selling a bun in a bakery."
The Czech President, Petr Pavel, said on Wednesday that the 71-year-old populist must publicly explain how he will eliminate conflicts of interest arising from his business activities before he can be appointed prime minister.
The Czech constitution "explicitly requires the president to take into account the possible emergence of conflicts of interest and ways to resolve them" when considering who to appoint as ministers, the presidential office said.
The president "wants to make it clear in what concrete way Andrej Babiš will fulfill his constitutional and legal obligations," the statement said, adding that Pavel is ready to appoint Babiš as prime minister "without delay" as soon as the issue is resolved.
Babiš's hundreds of companies, mostly under Agrofert, operate in the Czech Republic and other Central European countries, benefiting from tens of millions of euros in national and European agricultural and other subsidies, as well as public contracts.
Under Czech law, government ministers cannot receive public aid or contracts. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said that to avoid a conflict of interest, Babiš must either sell the company, give up public contracts, or not enter the government.
Babiš said he would "abide by the law" if appointed prime minister, but did not want to explain in advance how, because the issue is "extremely sensitive and personal for me, and journalists will always criticize me anyway."
During his first term as prime minister, from 2017 to 2021, Babiš faced numerous legal disputes and an EU investigation for possible conflicts of interest. He temporarily transferred his assets to trust funds, but retained some influence over them.
The court and the European Commission ruled that this was not enough. Babiš confirmed last month that he was once again the sole owner of Agrofert and insisted that he was "taking steps" to avoid a conflict of interest, but declined to reveal details.
The populist billionaire signed a coalition agreement with two right-wing fringe parties – the far-right, pro-Russian SPD, which is calling for a referendum on leaving the EU, and the Motorists for Their Own Party, which largely opposes the EU's Green Deal.
The new government, if confirmed, is likely to strengthen a populist bloc in Central and Eastern Europe and could weaken Western support for Ukraine – although Babiš has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reassure him of Czech support.
Pavel, who as president shares responsibility for foreign policy, also requested on Wednesday that a statement on the government's position on Russia's war against Ukraine be added to the coalition's program, including a commitment to fulfilling NATO obligations.
The president previously said he would not approve any minister who could question the Czech Republic's membership in the EU and NATO — a request that the far-right SPD said it would honor by nominating independent technical experts.
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