The opposition Social Democrats have won control of the Czech senatein mid-term elections, allowing them to slow government plans to cutspending. Voters were choosing 27 of the 81-seat chamber and the left-wing Social Democrats now have 41 seats. The gains could allow them to block the ruling right-wing Civic Democrats' plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. The Social Democrats' leader said their goal was to make the government's reforms socially more tolerable. The Civic Democrats formed a coalition government after May's parliamentary elections and now proposes to cut government spending to reduce the country's budget deficit. The plans, including a 10% cut in the wages of public sector workers, provoked a large protest in Prague last month.