October 15, 2016 - 7:20 AM
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - The three parties in the Czech Republic's ruling centre-left coalition have retained their control of Parliament's upper house.
With nearly all votes counted Saturday by the Statistics Office, the coalition won 10 of the 27 seats up for grabs in the 81-seat Senate to remain together the strongest force in the chamber.
The Christian Democrats came in first, winning five posts in the Senate in a runoff ballot held on Friday and Saturday. The two other coalition members — the leftist Social Democrats of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and the centrist ANO (YES) movement led by Finance Minister Andrej Babis — took three and two seats, respectively.
Parliament's lower house dominates the legislative process, but the Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving constitutional Court judges.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016