Local elections major blow for Civic Democrats

The senior coalition party, the Civic Democrats, suffered a major defeat in weekend’s local elections. The party lost most cities, including Brno, Ostrava, Liberec and the capital Prague. There, another collation party, the conservative TOP 09 won with over 31 percent of the vote, followed by the Civic Democrats with 23 percent, and the Social Democrats with just below 18 percent of the vote. The Civic Democrats lost in the capital for the first time since the fall of communism. Another coalition party, Public Affairs, also suffered a defeat, only gaining several hundred municipal posts nationwide.

Overall, various local groups of independent candidates won the highest number of council positions. The turnout in the municipal elections was over 48 percent, slightly higher than in the previous vote four years ago.

Author: Jan Richter