The 2016 Czech regional elections: Without real regional parties or voters' interest

Regional elections in the Czech Republic traditionally do not attract too much attention of the voters, as there is not too much at stake: In the 2016 regional elections, the electoral turnout in the 13 regions varied between 28.94% and 38.50% Despite the low turnout, it is possible to point out some significant developments, which - at least to some extent - confirmed long-term trends: (a) Regional elections in the Czech Republic are dominated by nationwide political parties, with regional formations regularly gaining up to 10% of votes. (b) Most elected representatives concurrently hold another elected office, usually at the local level. (c) Finally, regional electoral results indicate developments in party support in the following years. In 2016, they heralded the rise of Andrej Babis's ANO 2011 movement and the decline in support for social democrats. Both tendencies were confirmed by the results of the 2017 parliamentary elections.