Czech citizens went to the polls to exercise their democratic right amid severe flooding in the country and other parts of Central Europe.
Czech citizens went to the polls on Friday in a two-day election to elect a third of the seats in the upper house of their parliament as well as in regional elections.
The vote took place against the backdrop of massive flooding that has hit the country and other parts of central Europe in recent days.
The floods have killed at least 24 people in the region, including five in the Czech Republic.
State authorities helped the hardest-hit communities cast their ballots in the northeast of the country, where schools and other buildings used as polling stations were submerged and damaged.
Interior Ministry officials took charge of organizing the vote in five cities where local authorities were busy carrying out clean-up and recovery work.
In some places, voting took place in containers, tents or outdoors.
The current ruling coalition, made up of five parties and led by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, has a clear majority in the Senate, which has 81 seats, 27 of which are up for grabs in the two-round election.
The second round of elections will take place next week.
The lower house of the Czech parliament dominates the legislative process, but its Senate plays an important role in passing constitutional amendments and approving Constitutional Court judges.