Czechs vote in Senate and local elections in first test for populist PM Babiš
More than 8 million voters are choosing local leaders and a third of Senate seats, with Andrej Babis facing a popularity test.
- 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.
25 Articles
25 Articles
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.
On Friday and Saturday, more than 6000 municipalities and 27 Senate constituencies will be voted on. Babiš party Ano is in polls ahead – and has little to lose in the Senate
The Czech Republic is holding local and senate elections today and tomorrow, which are the first test of public sentiment towards the government of populist billionaire Andrej Babis, which took office in December. This is reported by DPA, BTA reports. Polling stations open at 2:00 p.m. local time, or 3:00 p.m. Bulgarian time. Voting will continue tomorrow. More than 8 million eligible voters will elect municipal councils in more than 6,200 dist…
Municipal elections are underway in the Czech Republic starting Friday at 2 p.m., where people will decide the composition of municipal councils for the next four years. The first round of elections for one-third of the Senate is taking place at the same time. Politicians who have already cast their votes include President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO).
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