Conservative opposition party wins Czech Senate election

Conservative opposition party wins Czech Senate election | iNFOnews.ca
FILE-In this Friday Oct. 5, 2018, file photo, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis votes during the first day of local and first round of the elections for Parliament's upper house, the Senate, in Pruhonice near Prague, Czech Republic. Babis' party is facing a strong challenge from the opposition in the second round of the elections for Parliament's upper house. (Ondrej Deml/File/CTK via AP)

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – A conservative opposition party in the Czech Republic has won an election for a third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house as the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Andrej Babis suffered a setback.

With nearly all the votes counted Saturday by the Statistics Office, the Civic Democratic Party won 10 of the 27 seats up for grabs in the 81-seat Senate in the two-round election.

Babis’ ANO (YES) centrist movement and its coalition partner, the leftist Social Democrats, won only one seat each.

The opposition parties now control the Senate.

Parliament’s lower house dominates the legislative process, but the Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving constitutional Court judges.

The maverick Communist Party has no seat in the Senate for the first time after this election.

News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Abbey Westbury

Related Articles