Second round of Czech Senate elections opens voting rooms for 44 finalists
Voting rooms reopen for the second round of the Czech Senate race, featuring 44 candidates across 22 districts after five seats were decided in the first round.
Czech voters will head to the polls again as the second round of Senate elections opens voting rooms on Friday, pitting 44 candidates against each other in 22 districts. Five constituencies already chose their senators in the first round, leaving the remaining contests to decide the balance of power. High-profile duels include Jiří Padevět (STAN) versus Jan Čižinský (Praha sobě) in Prague 1, Jitka Volfová (ANO) against Martin Půta (SLK) in Česká Lípa, and incumbent David Smoljak (STAN) facing opera singer Dagmar Pecková (ODS) in Prague 9.
In Plzeň-město, former chief of the general staff Karel Řehka (STAN) runs against ANO’s Lucie Kantorová, while former SOCDEM chair Michal Šmarda (independent) challenges incumbent Josef Klement (KDU-ČSL) in Žďár nad Sázavou. Other notable races involve Martin Dvořák (STAN) in Hradec Králové, Miroslav Plevný (STAN) versus Sandra Tsoukernik (ANO) in Cheb, and several incumbents who failed to advance.
Why it matters
The runoff will determine the composition of the Czech Senate and influence the legislative balance between governing and opposition parties.
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