Former premier Fiala slams ODS senator's billboard backing of ANO candidate

Petr Fiala used his X account to denounce a billboard that depicts ODS senator Lumír Aschenbrenner apparently supporting an ANO candidate in the upcoming second round of the Senate election in Plzeň, describing the display as unacceptable. Current ODS leader Martin Kupka added that a publicly available video shows Aschenbrenner explicitly refusing to endorse any Senate contender, making the billboard’s message puzzling.

Aschenbrenner, a long-time senator and former mayor of the Slovany district, sought to retain his seat but placed third, missing the runoff. The first-place finishers were General Karel Řehka, running for STAN, and city councilor Lucie Kantorová. Aschenbrenner had previously signaled his intention to leave ODS leadership before the election.