Czech voters abandoned traditional political parties in elections held over the weekend to hand controversial billionaire Andrej Babiš an emphatic victory.

The result followed regional trends as populist and Right-wing parties surged at the expense of the Left and pro-EU mainstream.

Mr Babiš’ centrist and populist ANO took close to 30 per cent of the vote, handing it 78 of the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The billionaire promises to run the country like a business and clean up a “corrupt” political system. Despite Eurosceptic comments and opposition to immigration, he considers EU membership the Czech Republic’s top priority.

However, with nine parties passing the 5 per cent threshold needed to enter the lower house of parliament, the billionaire faces tough negotiations to form a coalition.