Czechs prepare for municipal and Senate elections

Czechs will go to the polls on Friday and Saturday in municipal elections and the first round of Senate elections. Around 190,000 candidates are competing for some 62,000 council seats in 6,255 municipalities, with particular attention focused on Prague and other major cities. Voters will also elect senators in 27 constituencies, replacing one third of the upper house. Opposition parties are expected to retain their Senate majority, while the governing ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy would need to win all 27 seats to overturn it. Polling stations open at 2 pm on Friday and close at 2 pm on Saturday.