Stock Photo - The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) won the elections to one third of the Czech Senate today, on Saturday, October 13, 2018, with 10 of its 11 candidates succeeding in the runoff. With 16 seats in the 81-seat upper house, the ODS will have the second strongest group, together with the equally strong Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL). ODS chairman Petr Fiala called the result the ODS's first victory after nine years. The voters made it clear that the ODS is an alternative to populists, extremists and to PM Andrej Babis's senior government ANO movement, Fiala said. ""The semi-Communist government will not have a majority in the Senate,"" Fiala said, alluding to the minority government of ANO and the Social Democrats (CSSD) that has been kept afloat by the Communists (KSCM). The runoff was won by most of the favourite candidates, including former unsuccessful presidential bidders Pavel Fischer, on the photo with his wife Klara Fischerova (independent) and Marek Hilser, who ran for his own movement, Brno University Rector Mikulas Bek (for STAN), Senate deputy head and Teplice Mayor Jaroslav Kubera (ODS) and CSSD senators' group head and Bohumin Mayor Petr Vicha. (CTK Photo/Michaela Rihova)