In the Czech Republic, with the exception of Prague, the elections for regional representatives began today at 2:00 p.m. The overall victory in them is defended by the opposition movement ANO. In some areas, including part of the capital, voters also choose a third of the senators. In the elections to the upper parliamentary chamber, the ruling ODS seeks the re-election of its candidates the most.
Voting will also take place in several dozen municipalities, especially in the north of Moravia and in Silesia, which were flooded last weekend. In five of them, which cannot manage the elections on their own, the Ministry of the Interior will ensure the voting. Two dozen flooded municipalities will organize elections on their own, albeit with complications, such as a change of polling station. Due to the problems, according to the Czech Statistical Office, the publication of the overall election results, which are usually known on Sunday night, could be delayed.
Today’s voters will traditionally include President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) or his predecessor and ANO chairman Andrej Babiš.
Voters outside of Prague, of whom there are approximately 7.3 million, will be able to choose regional representatives until 10:00 p.m. today. After the overnight break, polling stations will be open on Saturday from 08:00 to 14:00. The people of Prague will choose the city council, which fulfills the role of the regional parliament, in two years’ time during the municipal elections. Six years ago, the senate elections involved approximately 2.7 million voters in 27 constituencies, where voting will be held even now.
According to the election website, 8,269 candidates are vying for the seats of 675 regional representatives. There are approximately 12 candidates for one seat in each of the regional parliaments. There are 169 registered candidates in the battle for the Senate, i.e. roughly six candidates for one of the 27 occupied seats in the upper chamber. Traditionally, the results of the elections should be discussed by the State Electoral Commission at the beginning of next week, with the fact that at least the results of the regional elections will subsequently be officially announced in the Collection of Laws.
Source: www.tyden.cz
