Andrej Babiš Leads First Round of Czech Senate Elections
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his ANO movement led the first round of Czech Senate and local elections held on October 9 and 10.
Czech citizens voted on October 9 and 10 to elect local representatives and fill one-third of the 81 seats in the Senate. The elections served as the first major political test for Andrej Babiš since he returned to power in October 2025 leading a nationalist coalition composed of the ANO movement, Motorists for Themselves (AUTO), and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD).
Preliminary results from the Czech Statistical Office indicate that ANO led the first round of the Senate elections, with up to 13 candidates likely advancing to the runoffs. However, at least six candidates from other parties may have won their seats outright by crossing the 50 percent threshold. In simultaneous municipal elections, independent candidates won most seats nationwide, though ANO led in several regional capitals outside of Prague.
Babiš campaigned on a platform of prioritizing domestic issues such as pensions, housing, and energy prices, while seeking to reduce support for Ukraine and reject specific European Union policies. This nationalist shift has created a divide with President Petr Pavel and pro-Western opposition parties, who maintain firm support for Ukraine. While the lower house dominates legislation, the Senate retains critical authority over constitutional amendments and the approval of Constitutional Court judges.
