Czech PM Babiš's ANO faces strong challenge in first round of Senate election
“Five senators were elected in the first round, equalling the historic record set in 2024,” Eva Krumpová, first deputy chair of the Czech Statistics Office, said. Of the five candidates to win seats outright, none were from the ANO.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his ANO movement faced a challenging first round of Senate elections this weekend. The vote served as a popularity test for the populist leader, who returned to power after ANO's strong performance in October 2025 parliamentary elections. The Czech Statistics Office reported that 154 candidates competed for 27 Senate seats.
A record five senators were elected in the first round, all from parties other than ANO. The remaining 22 seats will be decided in runoffs, with ANO candidates competing against opposition parties united in many districts. Independent candidates and groups appeared to be winning most seats nationwide, in line with expectations. ANO secured victories in six regional capitals.
Babiš, who previously held the prime minister position from 2017 to 2021, secured power again after ANO's impressive win in parliamentary elections. Currently leading opinion polls, ANO formed a nationalist coalition government with Motorists for Themselves (AUTO) and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) parties. Despite distancing his government from support for Ukraine, ANO remains the most popular party in the country, with billionaire founder Babiš having distanced his policies from aiding Ukraine since taking office.
President Petr Pavel remains a strong supporter of Ukraine, along with the opposition. Babiš also avoided a no-confidence vote earlier in the month, linked to the growing budget deficit.
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