Second day of voting in municipal, Senate elections

Czechs are voting in municipal elections and elections to a third of the Senate, the upper house of Parliament. Approximately a quarter of all eligible voters cast their ballot on Friday, the first day of the elections. Among the first to vote in their constituencies were party leaders and President Milos Zeman. In a brief statement for Czech Television the head of state urged Czechs to exercise their voting right and help shape the future of their respective municipality.  Referendums on local issues are taking place in 14 municipalities.

A total of 178 candidates are contesting 27 seats in the Senate and close to 200, 000 people are running for 60,000 seats in local councils. A second round of voting in the Senate elections will take place next weekend for contestants who fail to win 50 percent of the vote.

Polling stations close at 2pm on Saturday. The first results, with around 75 percent of votes counted, are expected on Saturday evening, the final result on Sunday morning.