Voting underway in local and Senate elections

Czechs have begun voting in Senate and local elections with polls opening at 1400 hours CET on Friday. Voting is taking place for local town and city councils and for a third of lawmakers in the 81-seat upper house of parliament, the Senate. The vote is seen as the first major test of public opinion since parliamentary elections proved inconclusive in June. A second round of senate elections will take place next weekend seeing a head-to-head between the two top-finishing candidates who failed to gain 50 percent of the vote in the first round. Polling stations will close at 14 hours CET on Saturday.