Populist Czech PM Babis goes empty-handed in Senate elections

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ruling coalition failed to gain a single new seat in the Czech Senate. Opposition candidates directly linked to opposition parties won 22 of the 27 seats contested, preserving a pro-Western opposition majority in the upper chamber. The result was a sharp setback for Babiš’s government.

The central party in the coalition, Babiš’s centrist ANO movement, did not win any additional seats. It therefore remained with 14 Senate lawmakers. Babiš said the outcome was “catastrophic” and acknowledged that the coalition had not expected to be shut out completely.

The defeat does not automatically end the government’s program. Babiš vowed to continue with his agenda, including a plan to change funding for public broadcasters. However, the opposition’s Senate majority gives it influence over constitutional amendments and Constitutional Court appointments, making the election an important political obstacle for the government.

The opposition won 22 of the 27 Senate seats available in the election. That result allowed opposition parties to retain their majority in the 81-member Czech Senate. Babiš’s coalition, by contrast, failed to add even one seat, making the numerical contrast unusually stark.

Babiš’s centrist ANO, meaning YES, remains represented by 14 Senate lawmakers. The election did not reduce that existing total, but it produced no new gains for the movement. The opposition’s 22 victories were therefore enough to preserve its previous control of the chamber.

These figures matter because the Senate has an important role even though the lower house handles the main legislative work. It has a significant say in constitutional amendments and in approving Constitutional Court judges. The results thus leave Babiš’s government facing an opposition-controlled chamber as it pursues its agenda.

The Czech Senate is the upper house of the country’s parliament. In this election, it had 81 members, with 27 seats contested. Its purpose is to provide a second parliamentary chamber rather than leaving legislative authority entirely with the lower house.

The lower house plays the main legislative role in Czech politics. The Senate nevertheless has a significant say in two important areas: passing constitutional amendments and approving judges for the Constitutional Court. This gives it influence over the country’s basic political rules and a major judicial institution.

The election kept a pro-Western opposition majority in the Senate. That means the chamber remains politically different from Babiš’s ruling coalition. Although the government can continue pursuing its agenda, the Senate’s composition may affect constitutional proposals and judicial appointments, making the upper house an important check on the government.

The Czech Senate is not the country’s main legislative chamber, but it has special constitutional responsibilities. The article says it has a big say in passing constitutional amendments. Such amendments can change the country’s basic legal and political framework, so Senate support matters beyond ordinary legislation.

The Senate also approves Constitutional Court judges. This gives it influence over the membership of a court that deals with constitutional questions. With pro-Western opposition parties controlling the chamber, the government cannot assume that its preferred constitutional proposals or judicial choices will receive approval.

The election therefore preserved an important opposition safeguard. Babiš’s government can still pursue its wider agenda, including its public-broadcasting funding plan, but it faces a Senate majority controlled by political opponents. The article does not specify the exact voting procedure or whether every proposal requires Senate approval, so the clearest effect is political influence and a potential barrier on these matters.

An opposition majority gives Babiš’s opponents control of a chamber with important constitutional powers. The Senate has a big say in constitutional amendments and approves Constitutional Court judges. Those responsibilities can make it harder for a government to advance proposals when the opposition disagrees.

For example, Babiš’s coalition won no new Senate seats, while opposition candidates won 22 of 27 contested places. The government therefore faces a chamber whose majority was retained by pro-Western opposition parties. On constitutional changes or court appointments, government-backed measures may need opposition support, or may fail to move forward.

The Senate is not the main legislative chamber, so the opposition majority does not automatically stop every government policy. Babiš said he would continue his agenda, including a plan to revamp public-broadcaster funding. Still, the election creates a stronger institutional counterweight and could force the government to compromise or confront resistance.

This election mattered because it was the first electoral test for Babiš after he returned to power. He won the parliamentary elections in October 2025 and became premier again after a four-year break since his first term. The Senate vote therefore offered an early indication of how his coalition was performing politically.

The result was unfavorable. Candidates directly linked to opposition parties won 22 of the 27 available Senate seats, while Babiš’s ANO movement gained none. The opposition retained its majority in the 81-member chamber. Babiš described the outcome as “catastrophic,” saying the coalition had not expected to win zero seats.

The election does not itself remove Babiš’s government. He vowed to continue with its agenda, including an unpopular plan to change public-broadcaster funding. But the result shows that his return to power has not translated into Senate victories and leaves his government facing pro-Western opposition control there.

Democracies sometimes use two legislative chambers to divide power and create an additional check on government. A second chamber can review proposals passed by the main assembly, represent a different political balance, and slow major changes that need broader agreement. These are general reasons for bicameral legislatures, not specific claims made by the article.

The Czech example shows how that division works. The lower house plays the main legislative role, while the Senate has a big say in constitutional amendments and approves Constitutional Court judges. In the election, opposition candidates won 22 of 27 contested seats, preserving opposition control of the 81-member Senate.

That arrangement means a government can win power in one part of parliament yet face resistance in another. Babiš’s government can still pursue its agenda, but the opposition-controlled Senate may influence constitutional changes and court appointments. The article does not describe every Senate procedure, so these are the stated areas of consequence.