Czech right-wing populist opposition party "Action of Disaffected Citizens" (ANO) of former Prime Minister Andrej Babis won a convincing victory in the regional elections in the Central European country, held just a few days after the great floods there, according to the official results announced today, cited by DPA.
ANO will be the first political force in 10 of the 13 regional parliaments, according to the data announced by the Czech Statistical Institute, which provides the vote count.
At the European level, Babis' formation is part of the "Patriots for Europe" group, which also includes the Hungarian FIDES, the French National Assembly and the Austrian Freedom Party.
Turnout for the two-day vote, which took place on Friday and Saturday, was low at 32.9%, due to flooding. The disaster claimed the lives of four people and caused extensive damage.
Despite the difficult situation caused by the natural disaster, the government decided not to postpone the vote, arguing on legal grounds.
The parties from the ruling liberal-conservative coalition of Prime Minister Petar Fiala won only in the regions of South Bohemia, South Moravia and Liberec. Although the result is not a victory, it is not a crushing defeat either, said the Prime Minister.
"We must be better, stronger and more successful,", he declared and defined the elections as an important test of public attitudes before next year's parliamentary elections.
ANO increased the number of mandates in the 13 regional parliaments from 178 to 292, but it is not expected to find coalition partners.
The regions manage schools, hospitals, social homes and distribute European subsidies. Prague has a special status, so it was not included in the elections.
On the two-day vote, voters also voted for 27 new senators in the 81-seat upper house of the parliament. These elections, in which one-third of the composition of the Senate is renewed, are produced every two years.
Five candidates collected a full majority of the votes and were elected in the first round. The outcome of the remaining races will be decided in a runoff after a week. The Senate participates in the legislative process and can block constitutional changes.
According to analysts, this election was the strangest since the breakup of Czechoslovakia and the creation of a separate Czech state in 1993. The election campaign was completely overshadowed by the floods. Many of the traditional polling places were flooded by the rising waters, while many people lost their identity documents.
The Interior Ministry sent teams with sleeping bags and power generators to the worst-hit areas to ensure the proper conduct of the vote.