Before 11:00 a.m. today, participation in regional and senate elections fluctuated from a few percent to perhaps 40 percent of voters. This follows from information from representatives of municipalities and regions and from election commissions. For example, in Krnov, affected by floods in recent days, only about a tenth of the voters arrived. On the contrary, in Opava, where there are also big problems after the floods, the participation reached 40 percent.
In Opava, which was significantly affected by the recent flood, and other nearby municipalities, the voter turnout was around 40 percent three hours before the end of the elections. In the flood-affected Bohumín in Karvinska, it was again under 20 percent. In the flood-affected Krnov in Bruntál region, voter turnout around 10 a.m. was only around ten percent. In Ostrava at the same time, it was about 23 percent. Data for the entire region are not available due to flooding. The office has only one control group in the field, so the estimates would not be relevant, according to regional spokeswoman Nikola Birklenová. Officials had to help prepare and secure elections.
Voter turnout in the polling districts in Olomouc reached almost 30 percent in the morning. A total of 28 percent of voters registered at 11:00 a.m. at ZŠ Táboritů and ZŠ Tererovo náměstí. In the north of the Olomouc region, which was heavily affected by floods in recent days, but the participation was significantly lower. For example, in Kobylé nad Vidnavkou, where the representatives of the Ministry of the Interior took charge of the elections, only 38 out of 327 voters, i.e. less than 12 percent, voted at 11:00. Four years ago, the total turnout in the village was 27.01 percent. “My colleagues went with a portable ballot box. We had a request from the retirement home. Although the municipality informed the citizens that this option was available, no one else applied,” said the chairman of the election commission, Ivan Tobek.
According to Petr Garláthy from the Olomouc regional office, electricity was put into operation in the problematic areas of Jesenice and the mayors formed the commissions from their own resources. Only in Kobylé nad Vidnavkou did the Ministry of the Interior provide commission members.
In the south, around 20 percent so far
Voter turnout in the south of Bohemia, where river levels are still high in some places, has so far hovered around 20 percent in the district towns. In České Budějovice, about a fifth of the total 778 voters came to the Máj I Elementary School, while in Písek, 21 percent of the 919 voters arrived at the TG Masaryk Elementary School.
In Prague, people only vote for the Senate. For example, in Prague 2 over 19 percent of voters have come, in Prague 4 a quarter. This follows from the information provided by the representatives of the local authorities. Voting is also taking place in Prague 8, where the voter turnout was 23 percent, and Prague 12, where 26 percent of voters voted on the issue. Participation in large Central Bohemian cities has so far ranged between 21 and 30 percent. In Mladá Boleslav, where people vote for the regional council and the Senate, roughly 30 percent of voters came to the polls by 11:00. In Nymburk, 26 percent of voters cast their ballots at 10:30 a.m., roughly four percent less than four years ago. In Kladno, the largest city in Central Bohemia, it was 21 percent.
According to data from the South Moravian regional office, almost 27 percent of voters in the region had cast their vote as of 10:00 a.m. today. Not only Znojmo is included, from which ČTK has not yet been able to obtain data. In Brno, participation reached almost 30 percent, the largest number of people so far came to vote in the Orešín district, namely 38 percent. So far, about 26 percent of voters have cast their votes in the Senate elections in the Břeclav and Brno-město constituencies.
In Uherské Hradiště in the Zlín Region, at 10:30 a.m. the voter turnout was over 28 percent, compared to 21.7 percent at the same time four years ago. About 28 percent of voters voted in Kroměříž and almost 31 percent in Zlín. But it is less than in the previous regional elections, four years ago, 38 percent of voters came to vote in Zlín at the same time. In the largest electoral district of Vsetín, about 26 percent of voters have so far cast their ballots in regional elections and 24 percent in senate elections.
In Předlice, only 3.6 percent of people came to vote in the morning
In the Pilsen region, the average turnout in the morning was between 25 and 30 percent, said Jan Nový from the regional office. For example, the participation of 63 percent of voters was recorded in the smallest municipality of the region, Čilé na Rokycanska, which often has 100 percent participation in elections. In the Ústí Region, the estimated turnout at 11 a.m. was about 22 percent. This follows from the information provided by the spokeswoman for the region, Magdalena Fraňková. In Předlice, only 3.6 percent came to vote in the morning. It is a precinct where the excluded location falls. In the neighboring precinct at the local elementary school, where the old settlers belong, the participation was 29 percent. In Děčín, the voter turnout at 10:00 a.m. was 22.88 percent, said Luděk Stínil, a spokesperson for the town hall. 27.7 percent of voters came to the polling station in Dolní Žleb to cast their ballots. At the same time, the water flooded the road that leads to the local part of Děčín.
Participation in the Karlovy Vary region was currently rather low, between 15 and 30 percent, according to the precincts contacted. In Cheb, for example, they estimate that participation in some districts is only slightly above 15 percent. In Luby u Cheb, estimates vary between 20 and 30 percent. Larger cities in the region report participation of around 20 percent.
In the Liberec region, two hours after the polling stations opened, the turnout was around 20 to 25 percent. According to ČTK findings, the interest in voting is lower in most places than in the last regional elections. In Višňová na Liberecko, which was the most damaged by the flood in the region, almost 26 percent of voters came to the relocated polling station in the largest precinct.
Participation in the Hradec Králové region at 11:00 a.m. was estimated by the governor’s office to be around 20 to 25 percent. In Hradec Králové, the turnout before 11:00 was around 29 percent. In the Pardubice region, voter turnout at 11:00 a.m. in Svídnice in the Chrudim region reached roughly 40 percent. So far, 23 percent of voters have voted in the Závodu Míru Elementary School in Pardubice, and 22 percent in the Municipal Office in Korouhva in Svitavska.
In the large cities of Vysočina, in the precincts contacted by ČTK, participation was most often between 23 and 30 percent. In three districts in the Jihlava region, it was from 23 to 28 percent.
Spotlight moment: These floods are the third most significant we’ve had here, comments a hydrologist
Spotlight moment: These floods are the third most significant we’ve had here, comments hydrologist | Video: Team Spotlight
