Babiš's ANO wins no first-round Czech Senate seats

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO won none of the five Czech Senate seats decided outright in voting on Friday and Saturday, Euronews reported on Oct. 11.

The result matters because 27 seats, equal to one third of the Senate, were being contested, with 22 still headed to runoffs and 13 ANO candidates advancing, according to the Czech Statistics Office.

The office said 154 candidates stood in the Senate contest, which was held alongside local elections and was viewed as a test of support for Babiš after his return to office. “Five senators were elected in the first round, equalling the historic record set in 2024,” Eva Krumpová, first deputy chair of the Czech Statistics Office, said.

ANO’s runoff candidates will face 26 candidates from parties and groups described by Euronews as pro-western opposition forces, which united in broad coalitions in many districts. In the local elections, independent candidates and groups appeared to be on course to win the most seats nationally, while ANO won in six regional capitals.

Babiš served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021 and returned to power after ANO won parliamentary elections in October 2025. ANO formed a nationalist coalition government with Motorists for Themselves, known as AUTO, and Freedom and Direct Democracy, or SPD.

The Euronews report said Babiš’s government has distanced itself from support for Ukraine, while President Petr Pavel and the opposition remain firm supporters of Kyiv. ANO had campaigned on domestic issues including energy prices, pensions and housing.

Babiš also survived a no-confidence vote earlier in October that was tied partly to the Czech Republic’s widening budget deficit.

Source: news report, Euronews, Oct. 11, 2026