Czechs head to polls in local and Senate elections
Andrej Babiš, the country's billionaire populist PM and founder of the Agrofert food and chemicals group, will be hoping his party can make gains in the 81-seat Senate.
Czech citizens will cast their votes on Saturday in local and Senate elections, marking the second day of voting to choose local representatives and one-third of the Senate's members. This electoral process is considered a popularity test for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who returned to power after his ANO party secured a strong victory in the parliamentary elections in October 2025.
The ANO party, which maintains a significant lead in recent opinion polls as the most popular party in the country, formed a nationalist coalition government with the Motorists for Themselves (AUTO) and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) parties. Babiš, a billionaire populist and founder of the Agrofert food and chemicals group, now aims to gain ground in the 81-seat Senate.
Since assuming office, Babiš has distanced himself from support for Ukraine. Although the ANO had campaigned on promises to concentrate on domestic issues like energy prices, pensions, and housing, Czech President Petr Pavel remains an ardent supporter of Ukraine, as does the opposition. Babiš also managed to avoid a no-confidence vote earlier this month, which partly stemmed from the growing budget deficit.
Polling stations are scheduled to close at 2 pm local time, with the complete results anticipated on Sunday morning.
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