Elections seen as success for Mayors, Christian Democrats

Political scientists told the Czech News Agency that the results of municipal elections and elections to one-third of seats in the Senate can be regarded as a success for two opposition groupings: the Mayors and Independents and, in large part due to the first-round victory of party leader Jan Grolich in the Senate, the Christian Democrats.

The Civic Democrats, the opposition party with most seats in the lower house, did not perform well. The three parties in the governing coalition – ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Motorists – also had reason for disappointment, though leader Andrej Babiš said the elections showed that ANO was still the strongest party in the country.

Nevertheless, the composition of the Senate will not be known until after next weekend’s run-offs, while practical success in municipal elections will only become clear once coalitions have been formed at local government level.