Czechs go to the polls on Friday and Saturday facing a deteriorating security situation in Europe and fears of Russian interference.
Populist billionaire Andrej Babis, 71, is tipped to head the next government, replacing the strongly pro-Western, pro-Ukraine coalition.
But he'll likely need allies on the extremes of Czech politics – and their price will not be cheap.
We'll never drag the Czech Republic to the East. I can absolutely rule that out, Babis told a crowd of mostly elderly supporters, gathered around a stage in the former steel town of Kladno, just outside Prague.
We weren't the ones who sat down with Putin - we were the ones who expelled Russian diplomats! he went on, referring to measures taken in his first term following revelations that Russia's GRU military intelligence had blown up a Czech ammunition dump in 2014.
A row of grey heads nodded as the former prime minister warmed to his theme.
And never - I repeat, never - will we consider leaving the European Union. Look at what happened to Great Britain! And they're a nuclear power. They've got gas, oil, a fishing industry. They're friends with Trump, he added.
Many supporters were wearing Babis's red baseball cap emblazoned with the words Strong Czechia – heavily inspired by Trump's MAGA movement.
The problem for Babis – and it could soon become a problem for NATO and the EU – is that his ANO party is unlikely to win an overall majority.
Instead, he will likely need to form alliances with smaller parties on the fringes of Czech politics.
Opinion polls and public statements suggest his choice of potential allies will be limited to the ultra-nationalist SPD, the anti-Green-Deal Motorists, and Enough! - an ad-hoc coalition of rebranded Communists, remnants of the once-mighty Social Democrats, and a blogger in a black hat.
Several of his potential allies want referendums on leaving the EU and NATO, a move Babis claims will not occur.
In reflection, young political activist Ondrej Kapralek expressed fears that his country may follow its neighbors towards increasingly extreme politics amid a backdrop of Russian influence.
Amid discontent with both mainstream parties and opposition extremism, the election results could pivot the Czech Republic into uncertain political waters, challenging its longstanding pro-European stance.
