September elections. Senate and counties.

Once again, after two years, part of the republic is electing its representatives to the upper house of the Czech Parliament. A total of 27 senators out of 81 will get a six-year mandate. This procedure takes place every two years, thus renewing one third of the Senate. It is a rhythm that is deliberately different from the elections to the lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, and the significance of this seemingly illogical procedure is that the difference in form and timing guarantees a greater degree of stability for the whole system. Thus, succumbing to the mood of the moment caused by short-term confusion of values is less likely.

Thirty-point-one percent of voters arrived at the polls in the first round, while less than thirty-three percent cast their ballots in the ballot boxes designated for the regional elections, which were held concurrently. Knowing that fewer eligible voters usually participate in the second round of elections, the public's level of interest in the quality of their representatives is rather disappointing. Senators have been and mostly will be elected in the second round (27 and 28 September), for example in České Budějovice, Brno - city, Ostrava - city, but also in four Prague districts. In Sokolov, Jana Mračková Vildumetzová surprised the voters by winning a supermajority of 11,500 votes (with a local turnout of 27%) and thus a senatorial seat for the next six years. She thus became the first female senator after five previous male senators. Elections were also held in Zlín, where Tomio Okamura served his historic one-year term (2012-2013). Here, Hájek and Kunčar are advancing. The five Bednář, Čunek, Fischer, Mračková Vildumetzová and Bělica have already won their senatorial posts by winning more than 50% in the first round.

A number of places are not yet finished. For example, Prague 2, with strong candidates Mark Hilšer (current senator), Miroslav Barta, Eva Zažímalová and Eva Kislinger, has yet to activate its 78,000 eligible voters. The defending candidate Marek Hilšer received 5,617 votes in the first round and will probably need around ten thousand votes to defeat Miroslav Bárta (neither of the two Evs succeeded). This is the value of a senatorial seat in the eyes of citizens, voters and non-voters alike.

Photo PD: Pavel Fischer - Senator-elect