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The victory of populist oligarch Andrej Babiš in October 2017 general elections and the January 2018 reelection of pro-Russian president Miloš Zeman seemed to move the Czech Republic closer to illiberal regimes such as those of Hungary and Poland. For several reasons, however, the Czech Republic may not follow the path of these two countries. Its system of constitutional checks and balance is stronger than those in Poland and Hungary, and Babiš is a pragmatist who does not want to create a deep divide between the Czech Republic and the rest of the European Union.