Czech PM Babis Suffers 'Catastrophic' Senate Election Setback as Opposition Parties Prevail

Opposition parties in the Czech Republic won the most seats in elections to the country's 81-seat Senate on Saturday, October 17, 2026, dealing a sharp blow to Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose ANO party failed to win a single one of the seats it contested in one of its first major electoral tests since returning to power last year. Babis himself described the result as "catastrophic," according to Reuters, though analysts say the outcome is unlikely to destabilise his eurosceptic coalition government.

Illustration: the Czech Senate voting chamber during election proceedings.

What Happened

Czech voters cast their ballots on Friday and Saturday in run-off elections for one-third of the seats in the Senate, the upper house of the Czech parliament. When the results were tallied, the leading opposition parties emerged as the clear winners, consolidating their existing majority in the chamber.

The pro-European Mayors and Independents party, known by its Czech acronym STAN, was the strongest performer of the round. It won 10 of the 14 seats it contested, including two seats secured outright in the first round of voting held the previous weekend. The Civic Democrats, long one of the country's main center-right forces, won seven seats.

For Babis and his ANO party — the Czech acronym for Action of Dissatisfied Citizens — the evening brought no relief. ANO had hoped to expand its foothold in the Senate, where one-third of the 81 seats were up for election. Instead, the party failed to secure any of the seats it contested. Babis described the result as "catastrophic," an unusually blunt admission from a politician who has built his brand on projecting strength and momentum.

Turnout for the run-off round was low, following a first round of voting the weekend before. Under the Czech electoral system, Senate candidates face off in single-member constituencies, and the top two vote-getters advance to a run-off unless one candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round. The low participation is a familiar pattern in Czech Senate elections, which historically attract far fewer voters than the elections for the lower house.

The Senate vote came just one week after municipal elections in which ANO also showed signs of losing ground: the party won the mayoral contests in six of the country's 13 regional capitals, down from eight victories in the same races four years ago. Taken together, the two weekends of voting suggest that the governing party's appeal is softening even as it continues to lead in national opinion polls.

Background

The Czech Republic's parliament is bicameral. The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, is the country's main legislative chamber and holds the real levers of day-to-day power — including the ability to override Senate vetoes. The Senate's 81 members serve six-year terms, with one-third of the seats contested every two years, which is why Saturday's election covered only a portion of the chamber.

Although the Senate cannot ultimately block legislation passed by the lower house, it retains significant constitutional weight. The chamber plays a central role in approving constitutional amendments, confirming the president's nominees to the Constitutional Court, and electing its own speaker — the country's second-highest-ranking state official after the president. An opposition-controlled Senate can therefore slow the government, force public debate on controversial appointments, and shape the tone of national politics.

Babis returned to the premiership last year after ANO won the parliamentary election, ending a period in opposition for the billionaire businessman-turned-politician. He formed a eurosceptic coalition government that includes right-wing and far-right partners, and his administration has quickly staked out confrontational positions both at home and abroad.

On foreign policy, the government ended direct state military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia — a notable break with the previous administration's posture and with the position of many of the Czech Republic's EU and NATO allies. On climate policy, the government has challenged European Union rules it views as overly burdensome, positioning Prague alongside other EU capitals pushing back against the bloc's green agenda.

At home, the government has loosened fiscal policy in an effort to boost wages, pensions, and investment in transport infrastructure. The spending push has drawn criticism in the traditionally fiscally frugal country of 10.9 million people, where balanced budgets have long been a point of national pride across the political spectrum. Opposition parties have framed the government's largesse as short-term populism that risks long-term stability.

Illustration: a historic parliament building in Prague at dusk.

Why It Matters

Saturday's result matters first and foremost as a political signal. Senate elections in the Czech Republic are widely read as a mid-term temperature check on the governing party, and ANO's failure to win a single contested seat — after a disappointing municipal round the week before — is the clearest evidence yet that the government's early honeymoon is over.

The victory of STAN and the Civic Democrats shows that the pro-European center of Czech politics, which governed the country before Babis' return, retains a deep reservoir of support. STAN's performance — 10 wins from 14 contests — was particularly striking and positions the party as the anchor of the opposition. For the Civic Democrats, seven seats represent a solid consolidation of their traditional base.

The result also matters for what it says about the Senate's future role. With the opposition's majority in the upper house now reinforced, the chamber can be expected to play a more assertive role in scrutinising the government's judicial appointments, constitutional proposals, and legislation — even if the lower house can ultimately override it. The election of the Senate's speaker, the country's second-highest state official, now rests firmly in opposition hands.

At the European level, the outcome will be watched in Brussels, where Babis' government has positioned itself as a challenger to EU climate policy and a skeptic of further integration. An opposition strengthened by consecutive electoral wins may feel emboldened to counter the government's EU posture in domestic debate, keeping the Czech Republic's pro-European tradition visible even under a eurosceptic cabinet.

Finally, the result complicates ANO's path to the next parliamentary election. Although the party continues to lead national opinion polls, two consecutive weekends of underperformance raise questions about its ability to convert polling leads into actual victories — and about whether the fiscal loosening and eurosceptic positioning of the past year are winning over voters beyond the party's core.

What Happens Next

In the immediate term, the result is unlikely to shake the foundations of Babis' government. The lower house remains firmly in the hands of the governing coalition, which can override Senate objections, and ANO's continued lead in national opinion polls gives the prime minister a political cushion. The "catastrophic" verdict he offered on election night reads more as an attempt to manage expectations than as a prelude to political crisis.

But the government will face a newly confident opposition in the Senate, which can be expected to use its strengthened majority to scrutinise judicial appointments, constitutional changes, and any legislation touching on democratic checks and balances. Public confirmation hearings for Constitutional Court nominees, in particular, could become flashpoints.

Watch, too, for internal dynamics within ANO. Babis rarely admits defeat, and his blunt assessment of Saturday's result may signal a coming shake-up in the party's campaign strategy — or an attempt to lower the bar ahead of future contests. Either way, the party's municipal and Senate performances suggest that its appeal is plateauing, and the governing coalition's right-wing and far-right partners may sense an opportunity to assert themselves.

The next significant electoral test will be the next round of parliamentary politics, and both the government and the opposition will spend the coming months recalibrating. For now, the Czech Senate remains an opposition stronghold — and a reminder that in Czech politics, the upper house is far more than a rubber stamp.

Illustration: election officials counting ballots in a voting hall.

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FAQ

1. Who won the Czech Senate elections held on October 17, 2026?
Leading opposition parties won the most seats. The pro-European Mayors and Independents (STAN) was the strongest performer with 10 of the 14 seats it contested, and the Civic Democrats won seven seats. Prime Minister Andrej Babis' ANO party failed to win any of the seats it contested, according to Reuters.

2. How important is the Czech Senate?
The Senate is the upper house of the Czech parliament. It has 81 members serving six-year terms, with one-third of seats contested every two years. The lower house can override Senate vetoes, but the Senate approves constitutional changes, confirms presidential nominees to the Constitutional Court, and elects its own speaker — the country's second-highest state official after the president.

3. Why did Prime Minister Babis call the result "catastrophic"?
Babis used the word after ANO failed to secure a single one of the seats it contested, despite hoping to expand its presence in the chamber. The result followed a disappointing municipal election round the previous weekend, in which ANO won six of 13 regional capitals, down from eight four years ago.

4. Will this destabilise the Czech government?
According to Reuters, the outcome is unlikely to destabilise Babis' eurosceptic coalition government, which includes right-wing and far-right parties. The lower house remains the main legislative chamber and can override Senate vetoes, and ANO continues to lead national opinion polls.

5. What are the main policies of Babis' government?
Since taking office last year, the government has ended direct state military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, challenged European Union climate policies, and loosened fiscal policy to boost wages, pensions, and transport investment — the latter drawing criticism in the traditionally frugal country of 10.9 million people.

Sources

• Reuters — "Czech PM Babis suffers setback in Senate elections," October 17, 2026.