TOP 09 and Civic Democrats to cooperate in Senate elections

The centre-right TOP 09 party and the Civic Democrats have agreed on close cooperation in the autumn elections to the Senate. While the parties will maintain separate ballots, they have established a strategy to bolster the chances of right-wing candidates in traditionally left-oriented regions by only fielding one candidate –either from the Civic Democrats or TOP 09 - in these electorates. The left-wing Social Democrats will be defending two dozen seats in the Senate elections and by this selective strategy the center-right parties are hoping to change the balance of power in the currently left-dominated Senate.