CSSD, KSCM may win constitutional majority in Czech Senate

The CSSD and KSCM would need to gain at least 15 seat out of the 25 constituencies in which their candidates advanced to the second round to be held in a week.

The Social Democrat and Communist candidates will compete in the final round in ten constituencies.

On the contrary, the influence of the senior government Civic Democrats (ODS) in the Senate will weaken.

The ODS was defending 14 seats in the first round of the Senate polls in which its candidates advanced only in ten out of the 27 constituencies contested.

The CSSD candidates advanced in 23 constituencies.

The Communists scored a great success in the Senate elections as their candidates advanced to the second round in 12 constituencies, while they were defending only one mandate.

Two years ago, no KSCM candidate advanced to the final duels.

Moreover, KSCM deputy chairman Jiri Dolejs is the first left-wing candidate to win in Prague in the Senate elections´ first round, gaining 100 votes more than Daniela Filipiova (ODS), his rival for the second round.

TOP 09 and the Mayors movement have a chance of defending only two of the three mandates and their senator group will end if they do not persuade some of the independent senators to join it.

The Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) do not have to fear about the future of their senator group since their candidate Jiri Cunek, former party chairman and deputy PM, clearly won the first election round in the Vsetin constituency, north Moravia, winning over 47 percent of the vote.

Cunek, former mayor of Vsetin, faced corruption charges but his prosecution was halted eventually in the past.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz