Image from Kancelář prezidenta republiky
Image from Kancelář prezidenta republiky

The 2026 municipal elections in Czechia are the elections to municipal councils, to the councils of city districts and city parts in statutory cities, and to the council of the Capital City of Prague and the councils of its city districts, held at the same time as the elections to the Senate of the Czech Republic. The date was set for Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October 2026[1].

Calling of the elections

On 26 June 2026 the President of the Republic decided, in accordance with the Constitution of the Czech Republic, the act on elections to the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the act on elections to municipal councils and the act on the Capital City of Prague, to call the elections to the Senate, to municipal councils and the councils of city districts and city parts in statutory cities, and to the council of the Capital City of Prague and the councils of its city districts[1]. He set the voting days for Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October 2026[1]. The decision was sent to the Prime Minister for countersignature, and the elections are formally called when the decision is published in the Collection of Laws and International Treaties[1].

Coincidence with local referendums

As of the election date the Ministry of the Interior had registered 39 local referendums held on the same days as the municipal elections[2]. In twenty-one places the referendums concerned the future of wind power plants, in three municipalities the subject was waste incineration plants, and elsewhere it was the takeover of a church or the extension of a farm park[2].

Elections in Prague

The elections also include the election of the council of the Capital City of Prague and the councils of its city districts[1]. Czech Television broadcast a pre-election debate of the candidates for Mayor of Prague; because of equal voting potential in seventh to tenth place, it invited representatives of ten groupings. The invitation was accepted by Petr Hlaváček (Starostové a nezávislí), Jan Hušbauer (ANO), Václav Láska (SEN pro Prahu), Tereza Nislerová (Czech Pirate Party), Tomáš Portlík (SPOLU pro Prahu – ODS, TOP 09), Adam Scheinherr (Praha sobě, supported by KDU-ČSL and the Greens), Klára Sovová (Motoristé), Milan Urban (SPD pro Prahu, supported by Trikolora, PRO, Přísaha and NK) and Jiří Vítek (Patrioti pro Prahu). The invitation was declined by DSZ – Za práva zvířat and NK[3].

According to the agency Kantar, cited by Czech Television, the coalition SPOLU pro Prahu (ODS and TOP 09) had the highest voting potential in the capital, closely followed by the STAN movement[4]. More than three quarters of Prague residents considered the unavailability and prices of housing a major problem of the city, and 71 per cent of residents perceived car traffic as a significant problem[4]. Among the measures that could, in the residents' view, help improve housing affordability, the construction of municipal flats had the highest support[4].

Participation of the President

According to a statement of the communication department of the Office of the President of the Republic, President Petr Pavel did not take part in the vote in the elections to the council of the municipality of Černouček in the Litoměřice area because of a private trip abroad. The Office added that the President regrets the mistake in planning around the elections[5].

Related articles: Alena Schillerová, Czech National Bank, Senate of the Czech Republic

Chronology

  • — Municipal council elections and the first round of Senate elections in 27 districts began in Czechia; polling stations opened on Friday at 14:00 and stayed open until 22:00, with voting on Saturday from 08:00 to 14:00, and 190,050 candidates stood for around 62,000 council seats. ČT24 Seznam Zprávy
  • — From the start of October, the Czech National Bank, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, has been offering municipalities and regions a savings account in the state treasury yielding 3.7 percent annually with immediate access to the deposited money. Seznam Zprávy iDNES.cz

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Savings account of the Czech National Bank for municipalities and regions

The Czech National Bank and the Ministry of Finance have offered municipalities and regions, since October 2026, a savings account in the state treasury with a yield of 3.7 per cent a year and immediate access to the deposited money. The account can be opened by municipalities, regions, voluntary associations of municipalities and communities of municipalities; it is arranged electronically and can be used to receive and send ordinary payments and to issue debit cards. The yield is paid by the Ministry of Finance.[6][7][8]

Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO) said that local governments would gain a safe yield without losing control over their money. According to Ministry of Finance data, at the end of June 2026 municipalities held 475.2 billion crowns in bank accounts and regions 145 billion crowns, in each case including their contributory organisations.[6][7]

According to Seznam Zprávy, which refers to several sources from the ANO movement, there are plans to reduce the share of Prague, Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň in selected taxes. MP Patrik Pařil (ANO) said in this connection that the discussion was only at its beginning.[6]

On 5 October 2026 Echo24 recorded the reactions of the candidates for Mayor of Prague. Tomáš Portlík (ODS), the candidate of the Spolu pro Prahu coalition, called the minister's appeal "insolence", referring to considerations about changing the budgetary allocation of taxes, and said that Prague already holds part of its money at the Czech National Bank. Jan Hušbauer (ANO) said it was an offer, not an obligation. Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (STAN) said that a possible coalition would discuss the matter.[8]

Savings account of the Czech National Bank for municipalities and regions

The Czech National Bank, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, has offered municipalities and regions since October 2026 a savings account in the state treasury. The yield is 3.7 per cent a year and the deposited money remains immediately available. The yield, which replaces interest, is paid by the Ministry of Finance.[6][7][9][8]

Account parameters

The account can be opened by municipalities and regions, as well as by their voluntary associations and communities. It can be arranged electronically without visiting a branch and managed in the electronic banking of the Czech National Bank. The account also serves for ordinary payments and debit cards can be issued for it, so the money does not have to be moved between accounts.[6][7][9] The state could use the deposits to cover the deficit and save on the interest it would otherwise pay on bonds.[6]

Balances of local governments

According to the Ministry of Finance, at the end of June 2026 municipalities held 475.2 billion crowns in bank accounts, including the money of contributory organisations, which was 42.2 billion more than at the end of 2025. In mid-year regions held 145 billion crowns in accounts, 40.5 billion more than at the end of 2025.[6][9] For some time the ministry had been trying to motivate local governments to deposit money in the state treasury, and the National Budget Council criticised the imbalance between the finances of local governments and those of the state.[6] So far municipalities and regions could use only term accounts at the Czech National Bank, and some representatives of local governments described the bank's internet banking as not clear enough. Local governments also do not want to lose their relations with commercial banks, which they may need, for example, for loans.[9]

Statements

Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO) said that local governments would gain the possibility of a safe yield without losing immediate access to their money, and that municipalities and regions would not lose control over a single crown. The Governor of the Czech National Bank, Aleš Michl, described the offer as another step towards simplifying the state treasury.[6][7]

Prague and the municipal elections

According to Echo24, the Capital City of Prague holds almost 200 billion crowns in its accounts and Minister Schillerová has repeatedly criticised it. The candidates for mayor reacted cautiously. Tomáš Portlík (ODS), the candidate of the Spolu pro Prahu coalition, called the minister's appeal insolence at a time when a change in the budgetary allocation of taxes is under discussion. He said that Prague already holds part of its money at the Czech National Bank and that deposits with commercial banks give it room for more favourable loans. Jan Hušbauer (ANO) said it was an offer, not an obligation, and that a comparison of conditions would decide. Petr Hlaváček (STAN) described a debate on increasing funds at the Czech National Bank as possible, if it proceeded constructively with the Ministry of Finance.[8]

Start of the elections on 9 October 2026

Polling stations in Czechia opened on Friday 9 October 2026 at 14:00. Voting was possible until 22:00, and on Saturday from 8:00 to 14:00 [10][11].

These were the ninth nationwide municipal elections since the creation of the independent state. At the same time the first round of the elections of a third of the senators took place in 27 districts; the Senate is renewed in this way every two years, and this year it happened for the fifteenth time [11][12]. If a round did not decide, up to 52 finalists were to be chosen for the second round a week later. In the Rychnovsko area only two candidates ran for the seat, so the first round there took the form of a final contest [12].

More than eight million voters could vote; in the previous elections slightly fewer than half of them did so. Almost 190 thousand candidates competed for about 62 thousand council seats. No nationwide elections are planned for next year [12].

According to Seznam Zprávy, results from smaller municipalities could be known by Saturday evening, and complete results of the municipal and Senate elections probably only in the early hours of Sunday because of the more complicated counting in large cities [11].

Expectations and details from the first election day

According to ČT24, the votes in the first round of the Senate elections should at least indicate to what extent a third of the upper chamber of Parliament will be renewed and how strong a majority the current opposition in the Chamber of Deputies will keep in the Senate [10].

In the introduction to a running report of 9 October 2026, Seznam Zprávy wrote that the ANO movement could, with greater success than in the past, confirm its predominance in Czech politics, and that the greatest attention therefore traditionally focuses on Prague and the regional capitals [11].

The Seznam Zprávy report also mentioned that political parties and movements used visuals created by artificial intelligence on their communication channels to a larger extent for the first time. Such images must always be marked as created by artificial intelligence [11].

Seznam Zprávy further stated that in the municipality of Řídeč in the Olomouc area thirteen candidate lists, each containing a single name, competed for seven seats on the council. Details are in the article Thirteen single-candidate lists in Řídeč in the 2026 municipal elections [11].

In the SPD in Kladno, according to Seznam Zprávy, the composition of the candidate list changed in the summer. Shortly before the deadline for submitting candidate lists the movement preferred a different line-up, so some people withdrew from the list, which according to the report also upset political partners [11].

Voting hours and scope of the elections

Polling stations opened on Friday 9 October 2026 at 14:00 and voting was possible until 22:00. On Saturday 10 October people voted from 8:00 to 14:00 [10][11][13].

Municipal councils are elected for four years. About 62 thousand seats were contested by 190,050 candidates, and in 27 districts the first round of the Senate elections took place at the same time [10][11][13]. According to Seznam Zprávy, results from smaller municipalities were expected by Saturday evening, and complete results of the municipal and Senate elections probably only in the early hours of Sunday because of the more complicated counting of votes in large cities [11].

Sources

  1. Kancelář prezidenta republiky — 26 June 2026
  2. Česká televize
  3. Česká televize
  4. Česká televize
  5. Česká televize
  6. Seznam Zprávy — 1 October 2026
  7. iDNES.cz — 1 October 2026
  8. Echo24 — 5 October 2026
  9. Novinky.cz — 1 October 2026
  10. ČT24 — 9 October 2026
  11. Seznam Zprávy — 9 October 2026
  12. ČTK / České noviny — 9 October 2026
  13. iROZHLAS — 9 October 2026