Czechs vote in municipal, Senate elections

Czechs began going to the polls on Friday – the first of two days on which they can cast their ballot in municipal elections, as well as to elect representatives to one-third of the Senate. Polls opened at 2 PM local time and close at 10 PM on Friday. They will reopen at 8 AM Saturday and close at 2 PM. This year, a record 165 parties and movements are taking part, fielding more than 230,000 candidates for 60,000 seats in local councils. The number of those running is a third-higher than in 2010. A record number of candidates, a little over 30 percent, are women. For the first time, the municipal elections are open to all EU citizens residing in the country, be they permanent or temporary residents. Those finishing first or second in the Senate elections short of securing a majority outright, will face a run-off in a week's time.

Author: Jan Velinger