In the first round of the 2026 Senate elections, held at the same time as the municipal elections, candidates of Mayors and Independents (STAN) did best. According to the Czech News Agency, the movement thus won the first round again after six years. Final results were published on the morning of 11 October 2026, because the simultaneous municipal votes slowed the count; Brno and Prague were awaited the longest.[1][2]
Elected and advancing candidates
Five senators from various parties were already elected in the first round, matching the record of 2024. The fate of another 22 seats was to be decided in the second round.[1][2] All 14 STAN candidates succeeded. Jan Sobotka and Zbyněk Linhart, who was re-elected in the Děčín district, won their seats in the first round. The other STAN candidates advanced to the second round.[1][2]
Of the 24 candidates of ANO, 13 advanced to the second round, as did nine of the 14 candidates of ODS. KDU-ČSL chairman Jan Grolich was elected, and two other candidates of the party advanced to the second round. For TOP 09, Jan Grulich was re-elected, and one of his two party colleagues advanced to the second round. Among the other groupings, only Tomáš Fiala (Naše Česko, formerly ODS) was re-elected in the first round. The Czech Pirate Party and SEN 21 each have one candidate in the second round.[1][2]
Of the 27 senators whose terms were ending, 24 defended their seats. Four of them succeeded in the first round, another 15 advanced to the second round, and five senators lost their seats for good.[1][2]
Turnout and votes
Average turnout in the first round exceeded 43 percent, the second highest on record. The most votes of any candidate went to Jan Grolich in the Vyškov district, with 37,071 votes, or 63.35 percent. The Vyškov district also had the highest turnout, 52.4 percent; the lowest was in the Karviná district, 29.51 percent.[1]
Next steps
The State Electoral Commission was to discuss the results of both elections on Monday 12 October 2026. The results were to be promulgated in the Collection of Laws for the districts of Děčín, Strakonice, Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Trutnov and Vyškov, where senators had already been elected. From 14 to 23 October 2026, the vote in these districts could be challenged before the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic.[1][2]
Related articles: Senate of the Czech Republic, Starostové
Chronology
- — In the first round of elections to the Senate of the Czech Republic, the Starostové movement won the most seats: 14 of its candidates were elected or advance to the second round, and five candidates were already elected in the first round. ČTK / České noviny Novinky.cz
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 11 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 11 October 2026