Czech opposition outpaces Babiš’s ANO in Senate first round

Czech opposition parties and coalitions advanced 26 candidates to Senate runoffs in the first round of voting, against 13 for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO movement, final results showed on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.

The result is the first electoral test for Babiš since he returned to power after winning the October 2025 parliamentary election, and it keeps the 81-seat Senate, currently controlled by the opposition, in play. Twenty-seven seats were contested, and 22 of them will be decided in runoffs.

The Associated Press reported that five candidates cleared the 50 per cent threshold to win outright. None was from ANO, and four represent opposition parties. The European Times reported that the runoffs are scheduled for Oct. 16 and 17.

ANO qualified for runoffs in 13 districts, the AP said. The European Times listed 10 of them: Cheb, Česká Lípa, Karviná, Kolín, Louny, Ostrava, Plzeň, Přerov, Příbram and Znojmo. Expats.cz reported that all 14 candidates of the Mayors and Independents movement, known as STAN, either won or advanced, as did nine from the Civic Democratic Party, or ODS.

Many opposition groups ran joint candidates in broad coalitions. The AP said ANO is hoping to gain seats in the runoffs. Expats.cz reported that in Žďár nad Sázavou, the second runoff place was decided by a single vote.

Voters also elected local councils on the same weekend. Expats.cz put turnout in the municipal vote at about 48 per cent, up from 45.3 per cent in 2022. The AP said independent candidates and local groupings appeared to win the most seats nationwide, as is traditional.

ANO finished first in six regional capitals, two fewer than in 2022, according to the AP. It did not win Prague. Expats.cz reported that STAN narrowly led the capital with just over 23 per cent, ahead of the Spolu coalition at just over 22 per cent and ANO at more than 14 per cent. The European Times said Babiš described ANO as “the country’s strongest political force.”

The Senate matters even though the lower house dominates lawmaking. The AP noted that it plays a key role in passing constitutional amendments and approving Constitutional Court judges. Babiš governs with two small parties whose agenda includes reducing support for Ukraine and rejecting some key European Union policies, the AP said. Those partners have no Senate runoff candidates.

Canada and the Czech Republic are both NATO members, and the direction of Prague’s Ukraine policy is followed closely by Ukrainian and Czech communities in Canada. No Canadian government comment on the vote was found. Canada News Media will update this story after the runoffs.

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Via the Associated Press, the European Times and Expats.cz. Names of some Senate winners are spelled inconsistently across reports and are omitted here pending confirmation from Czech election officials. This story is developing.