Billionaire Czech Premier’s ANO Party Weakens in Regional Vote

Support for ANO, the party of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, weakened in regional elections held across the Czech Republic, mainly in larger cities.

Babis’s party got 13.3% of votes in the municipal ballot held Friday and Saturday, less that the 16.6% it received four years ago, according to final results released on Sunday.

Municipal elections mainly turn on local issues and have limited direct effect on central-government policy, but are often seen as a bellwether of support for ruling parties. ANO is the dominant member of Babis’s three-party coalition.

The Czech Republic also held a vote to replace a third of representatives in the Senate, the upper house of parliament, which is likely to remain dominated by the opposition. Five senators won outright in the first round, with a runoff to take place next weekend. ANO’s 13 contenders have all made it to the runoff.

After his win in the parliamentary polls last October Babis had to navigate feuds with President Petr Pavel and justify planning the country’s second highest budget deficit on record. He also faced backlash over defense spending.