Czechs vote in Senate runoffs; ruling coalition to do well

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – The three parties in the Czech Republic’s ruling centre-left coalition appear set to retain their commanding position in Parliament’s upper house.

A third of the 81 seats in the Senate are up for grabs in a ballot Friday and Saturday, with the top two finishers from last week’s first round facing each other in each district.

The ruling coalition dominated the first round, with 30 candidates finishing first or second in the 27 districts contested.

The centrist ANO (YES) movement led by Finance Minister Andrej Babis was leading with 14 candidates advancing, while eight made the runoffs for both the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats.

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