Czech municipal and Senate elections finish, vote counting begins

Citizens in more than 6,000 municipalities cast ballots and the first round of Senate elections in 27 districts ended Saturday at 14:00, after which election commissions started counting the votes. Around 190,000 candidates competed for roughly 62,000 municipal council seats and 154 candidates vied for the 27 Senate seats. If no candidate secures an absolute majority, a runoff will be held a week later, while five municipalities that lacked enough candidates will hold supplementary elections in January. Major parties such as ODS, ANO and TOP 09 are focusing on mayoral strongholds and key Senate races as the results shape local governance and the Senate’s balance of power.