The liberal and conservative opposition in the Czech Republic will retain its majority in the Senate, preliminary election results show. At least four of its candidates have won a clear victory in the first round, after votes have been counted in over 80% of the constituencies. The information was reported by DPA and published by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.
Thus, the upper house of parliament will continue to be a political counterbalance to the lower house, which is dominated by the ruling right-wing parties. The vote will allocate 27 of the 81 seats in the Senate, with one-third of its composition renewed every two years.
Runoff to determine the remaining seats
The winners of the remaining senatorial mandates will be determined in a runoff next week. According to preliminary results, the right-wing populist ANO party of billionaire and Prime Minister Andrej Babis has fielded the most candidates for the second round.
The Senate has the power to delay the adoption of legislative acts and block constitutional changes. Because of this role, political scientists define it as the “guarantor of democracy“.
The vote is the first test for Babis' government
The Senate elections were held simultaneously with local elections across the country. They were seen as the first test of public support for Andrej Babis' government, which took office in December.
More than 8 million voters were eligible to elect local councils in more than 6,200 cities and municipalities. Initial estimates suggest a voter turnout of around 40%. The voting took place over two days.
ANO governs in a coalition with two smaller far-right parties - the Motorists' Party and the Freedom and Direct Democracy movement.
Babiš's administration has also been the subject of political criticism. Transparency International has accused him of a conflict of interest for combining the post of prime minister with his role as founder of a large business empire. The government's plan to replace license fees for public media with direct funding from the state budget also drew criticism.
Sources: bta.bg