The ruling coalition headed by populist billionaire Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis failed to win a single seat in the Senate elections.
Consequently, pro‑Western opposition parties now control the upper house of parliament, the Senate.
What happened in the Czech Senate elections?
Final results from the two‑day ballot showed that opposition‑affiliated candidates secured 22 of the 27 contested seats in the 81‑member Senate, preserving their existing majority.
The centrist ANO (also known as YES) movement led by Babis failed to gain any additional seats, leaving the party with 14 senators.
Babis described the outcome as “catastrophic.”
“We certainly did not expect to win no Senate seats in this election,” he said, adding that his government would press ahead with its agenda.
Among the initiatives is an unpopular plan to overhaul funding for the country’s public broadcasters.
Czech journalists warn of dangers of public media reform
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His eurosceptic coalition has also withdrawn direct military support for Ukraine as it defends itself against a Russian invasion, and opposes European Union policies aimed at combating global warming.
While the lower house of the Czech parliament holds the principal legislative authority, the Senate wields considerable influence over the passage of constitutional amendments and the confirmation of Constitutional Court judges.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
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