Politics · Prague, Czechia · October 18, 2026

Czech PM Babiš's coalition wins no Senate seats

Reported by 2 outlets · first reported Oct 18, 3:03 AM ET

Opposition parties won 22 of 27 contested Czech Senate seats, keeping control of the upper chamber. It is the first time governing parties failed to win a single seat in a Senate election, with Babiš's ANO coming third.

Why it matters

An opposition-held Senate can act as a check on the populist government's agenda.

Background

Andrej Babiš, a billionaire businessman, leads the populist ANO movement and returned to power as prime minister. The Czech Senate is elected in staggered thirds every two years.

The story so far

1. Oct 9Czechs vote for a third of the Senate and local councils
2. Oct 10Czechs vote in Senate and municipal elections
3. Oct 16Czechs vote in Senate runoff for 22 seats
4. Oct 18Czech PM Babiš's coalition wins no Senate seats

Follow the whole story →

Sources

• DW ↗Oct 18, 3:03 AM ET
• AP ↗October 17, 2026

This summary was written automatically from the reporting linked above; follow the sources for the full story. How One Turn works.

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