Voting to begin in local elections in the Czech Republic

Voters in the Czech Republic begin casting ballots in local polls on Friday to elect local representatives as well as one-third of the Senate's members.

The elections are being seen as a test of popularity for the populist billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

Babis took power last December after forming a coalition with two small political groups. His party, the ANO, or YES, won big in parliamentary elections last year after he was able to tap into people's economic frustration, playing into a sentiment that the center-right government at that time was spending too much on Ukraine.

But Babis ran into challenges as well after having formed a government, with the opposition challenging his widening budget deficit — which is when the government spends more than it earns. But he survived a no-confidence vote in parliament earlier this month.

Babis, 72, founded the Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament with former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other far-right parties.

Housing shortage is big issue in Czech cities

More than 8 million eligible voters are set to elect municipal and town councils in more than 6,200 districts nationwide.

Housing shortages, a big theme in major European cities including Berlin and Madrid, is a top concern for voters in the Czech Republic's major cities too.

As for the Senate, a third of the seats are up for grabs, as they are every two years.

The vote will determine whether the liberal and conservative opposition can retain their majority in the chamber or whether the governing parties and their allies make gains.

President Petr Pavel drew attention ahead of the vote because he said he was not going to be able to cast his ballot since he was on a private holiday outside Europe.

"The president regrets the planning error," his spokesman said.