Prague - As the last votes in regional and Senate elections in the Czech Republic were counted Saturday, the opposition Social Democratic Party looked as if they had issued a heavy blow to Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.

"The voters want change," Social Democratic leader Jiri Paroubek told the public broadcaster Czech Television.

The Social Democrats took all 13 regions where voting took place, their first such success since 2000.

Prague- Counting began in the Czech Republic's regional and Senate election Saturday as polling stations closed.

Czechs were picking 27 from 81 members of the upper house, the Senate, and governments of country's 13 regions.

Both the Senate and regional governments have been controlled by the senior ruling Civic Democratic Party of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek.

Analysts expect Topolanek's party to lose its dominance, which could affect his rule and country's ratification of EU's reform Lisbon Treaty just months before the Czech Republic's presidency of the 27-member bloc.

Prague - Czech officials and travel agents welcomed Washington's decision, announced Friday by US President George W Bush, to allow Czechs to travel to the United States without visas.

But some citizens said the new policy, set to go into effect within a month, came too late.

"It is virtually the largest success we could have achieved. It lifts the last relic of communism and the Cold War. I am thus very happy," Czech Prime Minister Topolanek said in a statement.

Some Czechs pointed out that the relic held out for a long 19 years.

Prague - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek welcomed Washington's decision, announced Friday by US President George W Bush, to allow Czechs to travel to the United States without visas.

The new policy is set to go into effect within a month.

"It is virtually the largest success we could have achieved. It lifts the last relic of communism and the Cold War. I am thus very happy," Topolanek said in a statement.

Prague - Czech voters Friday began casting ballots in regional and Senate elections that could shake up Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's rule and affect the country's ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty.

The Czech Republic has been divided into 14 regions since 2000. Their governments have been since dominated by Topolanek's senior ruling Civic Democratic Party.

Prague, also a Civic Democratic bastion, is officially a region but its government is elected in a municipal election that last took place in 2006.

Prague - The Czech government approved a legislative proposal Tuesday that doubles savings guarantees to 50,000 euros (68,000 dollars) in a bid to prevent people from pulling out their money from Czech banks, officials said.

"This step should contribute to absolute confidence of savers in our system," Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said.

The Czech Republic currently protects 90 per cent of retail bank deposits up to 25,000 euros.