Czech PM Babis Suffers Major Setback as Opposition Parties Dominate Senate Elections

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has suffered a significant political setback after opposition parties secured the most victories in the country's Senate elections, dealing a blow to his ruling ANO party.

The election results announced on Saturday showed that Babis' ANO party failed to win any of the seats it contested, marking one of its first major electoral challenges since returning to power last year.

The party had hoped to strengthen its position in the 81-member Senate, where one-third of the seats were contested. However, opposition parties maintained their majority in the upper legislative chamber.

Babis described the outcome as "catastrophic", although the results are not expected to threaten the stability of his coalition government, which includes right-wing and far-right political parties.

Since taking office, the government has ended direct state military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and challenged several European Union climate policies.

Despite the setback, ANO remains ahead in national opinion polls, suggesting that the party continues to enjoy substantial public support.

The Czech Senate plays an important role in approving constitutional amendments, confirming presidential nominees to the Constitutional Court and electing its speaker. However, its legislative powers are limited because the lower house can override Senate vetoes.

The pro-European Mayors and Independents party emerged as the strongest performer, winning 10 of the 14 seats it contested, including two secured in the first round. The Civic Democrats also recorded a strong performance, winning seven seats.

The latest results followed municipal elections held the previous weekend, in which ANO won six of the country's 13 regional capitals, compared with eight in the previous election four years ago.

Meanwhile, voter turnout during Friday's and Saturday's Senate run-offs was low. Under the Czech electoral system, the two leading candidates advance to a second round unless a candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote in the first round.

Babis' government has also faced criticism over its relaxed fiscal policies, which are intended to increase wages and pensions while expanding investment in transport infrastructure.

The election outcome represents a setback for the prime minister but is unlikely to immediately undermine his government's hold on power.

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