Czech Opposition Scores Early Wins in Senate, Local Votes
Political scientists told a national news agency the outcome could be considered an achievement for both parties. They said the Christian Democrats’ result owed much to party leader Jan Grolich winning his Senate seat outright in the first round.
The Civic Democrats, the biggest opposition party in the lower house, fared poorly.
The three governing coalition parties, ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Motorists, also had cause for disappointment. ANO leader Andrej Babis, however, reportedly said the results showed his party remains the country’s strongest political force.
Five senators win outright
Five candidates took more than 50% of the vote in Saturday’s Senate balloting, clinching their seats without a runoff next weekend. They are:
Jan Grolich of the Christian Democrats
Jan Grulich of TOP 09
Jan Sobotka of Mayors and Independents
Tomas Fiala of Our Czechia
Zbynek Linhart of Mayors and Independents, who won by a wide margin
With about 90% of votes counted, Mayors and Independents and ANO each secured 13 places in the second round for the contested one-third of the Senate’s 81 seats. The Civic Democrats won nine.
Christian Democrats lead local races
The Christian Democrats were the top performer in the municipal elections, with nearly 2,000 councillors elected. Mayors and Independents placed second, followed by ANO and the Civic Democrats, the Czech radio broadcaster reported. National turnout was reported at 47%.
Prague race tight
In the capital, Mayors and Independents finished first with 23% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Together for Prague, an alliance of the Civic Democrats and TOP 09, at 22%. Prague Together took third with 18%, and ANO placed fourth with 14%.
Petr Hlavacek, electoral leader of Mayors and Independents in Prague, ruled out a city government with ANO. He said his party would hold talks in the coming days with Together for Prague, Prague Together and the Pirates.
ANO came first in six of the country’s 13 regional capitals.
What comes next
The municipal picture should sharpen once local governing coalitions take shape, and the Senate’s final makeup will be settled in runoff elections next weekend.
Nearly 190,000 candidates competed for roughly 62,000 local council seats, while 154 candidates vied for 27 seats in the upper house of parliament.
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