Czechs vote in Senate and regional elections in the aftermath of massive flooding

PRAGUE (AP) — Czechs are voting in a two-day vote for a third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, and to select their representatives in regional elections. The elections take place as the country recovers from massive floods that hit Central Europe in recent days. The floods claimed at least 24 lives in the region, five of them in the Czech Republic. Interior Ministry officials took over the organization of the vote in five towns where local authorities were preoccupied with cleanup and recovery efforts. The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Petr Fiala has a clear majority in the 81-seat Senate where 27 seats are up for grabs. In separate regional elections, a political movement led by former populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis is favored to win.