Prague, Aug 2 (CTK) – Czech parties and movements have submitted 270 lists of candidates for regional assemblies and 233 candidates for senators applied for being registered by this afternoon when the deadline for the election nominations expired, according to CTK’s information.
The regional elections and the first round of the Senate elections will be held on October 7-8.
New regional assemblies will be elected and the governors of all the 13 regions of the country will be chosen after four years. At present, all except two of the regional governors are Social Democrats (CSSD).
In most regions, the number of groupings running for the regional assembly increased, compared with the previous elections. In South Bohemia, 23 groupings have been running, or five more than in 2012.
The highest number of groupings (25) applied for registration in Moravia-Silesia, while the lowest number of applications (17) was submitted in the Plzen and Hradec Kralove regions.
As expected, mostly the parties represented in parliament are running in the regional elections, however, various regional groups and alliances want to succeed as well.
In the Senate elections, one third of the seats in the 81-member upper house of parliament, will be contested. If nobody wins majority support in the first round, the best two candidates will fight in the second round one week later.
Nineteen of the 27 senators who were elected for six years in 2010 will be defending their posts, including Senate deputy chairman Zdenek Skromach (CSSD), deputy chairwoman Miluse Horska (unaffiliated). One of the longest serving senators and its former chairman (2004-10), 72-year-old Premysl Sobotka (Civic Democrats, ODS), will not be defending his post.
In 2010, 227 candidates fought for the 27 posts in the Senate. Two years later it was 233 candidates and in 2014 it was 244 candidates.
The highest number of candidates for senator (13) want to run in the 11th district of Prague this autumn, while the lowest number of six applied for registration in the constituencies of Kutna Hora, central Bohemia, and Novy Jicin, north Moravia.
Most of the candidates for senators are traditionally regional politicians and other local personalities.
The candidates include philosopher Vaclav Belohradsky (for CSSD and Greens), Energy Regulatory Office director Alena Vitaskova (for Dawn), former Czech Railways director Dalibor Zeleny (for CSSD), dancer Vlastimil Harapes, jockey Josef Vana (both for ANO), musician Felix Slovacek (for Party of Entrepreneurs), former dissident Frantisek Starek (for ODS) as well as Industry Minister Jan Mladek (CSSD), former justice minister Helena Valkova (ANO) and anti-Islam activist Martin Konvicka (for Alternative for Czech Republic 2017).
