ANO is the winner of this year's first round of the Senate elections, having won two senators for the first time in history. Already in the first round, five candidates were elected senators this year, which is the most in the history of renewals of one-third of the upper house of parliament.
It seemed that the majority system of Senate elections did not suit ANO - and today there are two winners in the first round. They are Jana Mračková Vildumetzová in the Sokolov region and Martin Bednář in Ostrava. In addition, 19 other candidates of the opposition movement have advanced to the final round, which will take place at the end of next week in 22 of the 27 districts. Other ANO candidates narrowly escaped election in the first round - Opava Mayor Tomáš Navrátil and current Senator Miroslav Adámek.
Pavel Fischer, a diplomat and former presidential candidate, defended his mandate in the Prague 12 constituency. The decision was also made in the Vsetín region, where the incumbent senator Jiří Čunek (KDU-ČSL) won. Petr Vícha (ČSSD) defended his mandate in Karviná.
Where no candidate receives a majority of votes, a second and decisive round of elections will be held next Friday and Saturday. The ODS, which is also seeking to keep civic democrat Miloš Vystrčil as head of the Senate, has defended the most seats in the Senate elections.
The regional elections were also clearly dominated by the opposition ANO movement. It won in ten of the 13 regions, just as it did four years ago. In the remaining three, the ruling parties led by the incumbent governors won. In the South Bohemian Region, Martin Kuba's ODS won the most votes, in the South Moravian Region, the Together coalition led by Jan Grolich (KDU-ČSL) won the most votes, and in the Liberec Region, Martin Puta's Mayors for the Liberec Region came first, just ahead of ANO.
But that does not automatically mean ten governors for ANO. There is also a "second round" of coalition negotiations. For example, the Central Bohemian Region will probably be led by the leader of the third-ranked coalition - the Together coalition - Deputy Speaker of the Lower House Jan Skopeček (ODS), or so the victorious ANO is said to have offered...
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