Czechs went to the polls on Friday for the second round of voting to fill a third of the seats in the Senate, the upper house of Parliament. The ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, currently holds a majority in the Senate. However, the main opposition group, led by former populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis, saw the most candidates advancing to the runoff from the first round held last week.
In the runoff for 27 out of the 81 Senate seats, Babis' ANO party had 19 candidates progressing, marking a strong showing for the centrist movement. Five candidates secured seats outright in the initial round, with 22 seats left to be decided in the runoffs.
While the lower house of Parliament holds more power in the legislative process, the Senate plays a crucial role in approving Constitutional Court judges and passing constitutional amendments.
The results of the two-day voting process are expected to be announced on Saturday. In a separate election last week, ANO also emerged victorious in Czech regional elections, securing wins in 10 out of the 13 contested regions.
However, the ruling coalition faced a setback as the junior party, the Pirates, announced their decision to exit the Cabinet due to Fiala's dismissal of the party leader. Fiala cited a loss of trust in Ivan Bartos's ability to address issues related to a new digital system for issuing building permits.
Despite the Pirates' departure, Fiala's government will maintain a majority in the lower house of Parliament even without their support.
