ANO party

And the confusion doesn't stop there. As war, inflation and migration helps to expand competition on the far reaches of the political spectrum, the more established radical-right players are circling the wagons. On Wednesday, the SPD - Czechia's only far-right parliamentary party - signed a memorandum of cooperation with the non-parliamentary Trikolora.

Bartos doesn't speak like a politician either. While most are wary of saying the wrong thing, he talks ten to the dozen, linking from one topic to another endlessly, venturing into all sorts of areas. At the end of the interview, he asks that the swear words he let slip during these enthused passages be left out.

Predictably, Prime Minister Andrej Babis was most unhappy with the ruling. He complained that the court is interfering with the political process because campaigning has effectively already started for the elections on October 8-9.

"It's absurd," Horakova lamented. "The bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriage is becoming known as 'one of the oldest bills' in parliament. Legislators have a duty to vote on any law submitted to them, not sweep it under the carpet."

See also:

Live: Coronavirus Updates

Why Populists Love the Pandemic

Hungary 'No Longer a Democracy' After Coronavirus Law

Orban's seizure of rule by decree without an expiration date on March 30 raised fears that the EU now has a virtual dictatorship in its midst. 

SMER-SD gave way to a four-party, mostly right-wing coalition led by populist Ivo Matovic's OLANO, which more than doubled its vote from 11 per cent to 25 per cent — well ahead of SMER-SD's 18 per cent — with a vague programme almost entirely devoted to dismantling what Matovic claims is a system of corruption built by former premier Robert Fico. 

Polls suggest that over two-thirds of Czechs approve of same-sex marriage, so it is little surprise that the centrist Ano party of Prime Minister Andrej Babis, which leads the minority governing coalition, offered its support to the bill. 

Trump maintains the support of the religious right and conservatives despite allegations of sexual harassment and adultery. Babis launched his ANO party in 2011 appealing to popular anger over a political system rife with corruption, but persistent accusations of fraud and graft have not dented support.

Mainstream pro-EU parties on the centre-left and centre-right took a battering in Czech elections for the European Parliament but the main beneficiaries were "anti-system" centrist parties rather than the far right.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis' ruling ANO party came top, gaining two seats for a total of six of the country's 21 seats and 21.18% of the vote.

"We're defending Czechia - hard and without compromise."

The billboards of the Czech Republic's ruling ANO party for this week's election for the European Parliament show that something has gone badly wrong with the country's relationship with the EU.