Czechs vote in Senate and local elections in first test for populist PM Babiš
ANO seeks gains in the 81-seat Senate as voters weigh housing, energy prices and support for Ukraine.
- Voters in the Czech Republic began casting ballots on Friday, October 09, 2026, in local polls to elect municipal representatives and one-third of the Senate's members.
- These elections serve as a popularity test for Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose party ANO, or YES, won decisively in last year's parliamentary elections.
- More than 8 million eligible voters across over 6,200 districts are voting while housing shortages remain a top concern; the Senate vote will determine if opposition retains its majority.
- President Petr Pavel drew attention by announcing he would not cast a ballot while on a private holiday outside Europe. "The president regrets the planning error," his spokesman said.
- Babis, 72, founded the Patriots group in the European Parliament alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other far-right parties, expanding his political influence beyond Czech borders.
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45 Articles
Dnevni list Danas
Naslovi.netIn the local elections and elections for a third of the Senate of the Czech Parliament held on October 9 and 10, the parties of the ruling coalition weakened, less the ANO of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, which lost two of the eight regional metropolises in which it was in power.
Voter turnout varies significantly across the Czech Republic. While in some municipalities 98 percent of voters came to vote in the last municipal elections (2022), in others barely 18 percent turned out. Similar differences are also visible in the Senate elections. See where people show the greatest interest in municipal politics and the choice of a senator, and where, on the contrary, the polling stations remain almost empty.
The Czech Republic is holding simultaneous Senate and municipal elections, a year after Andrej Babiš's party won the lower house elections. What is at stake in the upper house now? What has the Babiš government shown so far, and to what extent have fears of the urbanisation of the Czech Republic been justified?
Associated Press News
Czechs vote in Senate and local elections in first test for populist PM Babiš
Czechs are voting to elect one-third of Senate seats and local representatives. The two days of voting started on Friday and mark the first test for populist billionaire Andrej Babiš since his return to power last year.
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