Miloš Zeman

Miloš Zeman ( born September 28, 1944 in Kolin ) is a Czech left -wing politicians and since March 8, 2013, the third President of the Czech Republic, after he was between 1998 and 2002 already Prime Minister. Zeman had lived since 2002 until his inauguration as President in Nove Veseli, where he is an honorary citizen in 1999 since 18 August.

Career

Zeman completed a correspondence course at the University of Economics in Prague, which he completed in 1969. In the wake of the Prague Spring, he was briefly a member of the KSČ, from which he was excluded but because of his attitude. Therefore, he had difficulties in finding a job in the following years. From 1970 to 1984, he worked in a sports organization for which he established a prognostic center. After its closure he worked in an agricultural organization and was released in 1989 also there for his political leanings.

Civic Forum

From the end of 1989, he became involved in the civil forum, 1990, he was chosen for the Civic Forum in the Czechoslovak parliament.

Entry and advancement in the CSSD

In 1992, he joined the Social Democratic Party ( CSSD ) and was re-elected to the Czechoslovak Parliament for this, that with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia ceased its activities on 31 December 1992. From 1993 he was chairman of the Social Democrats, said he prevailed in the election against the eventual chairman Jiří Paroubek. In the 1996 elections he was elected to the Czech Chamber of Deputies and, as a result of a support agreement with the incumbent Prime Minister Václav Klaus, the Next to govern his government fell one vote, once President of the Parliament.

Prime minister

After the electoral victory of the Social Democrats in the early House of Representatives elections in June 1998, he was commissioned to form a government and was then on 17 July 1998 to 12 July 2002 Czech Prime Minister. He turned to a special form of political cooperation: His minority government supported in parliament by the ODS, this support was secured with a contract opposition. In 2001 he gave the party chairmanship to Vladimír Špidla.

In the elections of 2002, he did not run ( his successor was also Vladimír Špidla ) and announced his retirement from politics.

Presidential nomination in 2003

However, he presented himself in the second round of the then conducted by the Chambers of Parliament House of Representatives and Senate elections as a presidential candidate in February 2003, but could not even unite all the votes of his own party to be. The winner was, therefore, at the end surprisingly Václav Klaus.

Withdrawal from the CSSD

In March 2007, Zeman left after a dispute with the acting party chairman Jiří Paroubek the CSSD.

Establishing the SPOZ

In December 2009, Zeman called the party of civil rights ( Strana prav Občanů, SPOZ ) to life and joined the parliamentary election in 2010 as the leading candidate. At 4.3 percent, the party failed to enter parliament may be scarce, but cost especially the Social Democrats votes. Zeman announced after the defeat again to his retreat into the private sphere.

Presidency

Miloš Zeman came despite his withdrawal announcement as a candidate of his party in the presidential election in the Czech Republic 2013, which was first performed as a direct line. In the first round Zeman received a scarce relative majority of votes and then won in the runoff election against Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. His sworn in as president before the two Houses of Parliament took place on 8 March 2013.

Positions

• Zeman is in favor of a law for an effective fight against corruption.
• He advocated the holding of a referendum, which is to deal with the scope of the return of church property.
• Zeman is proponent of nuclear energy. He is responsible for the expansion of the nuclear power plant Temelín, secure the independence of the Czech Republic in energy issues.
• He announced to speak out in case of his election as president against amnesties, as did Klaus.
• Zeman is advocates of EU accession of Croatia and keeps the Serbia's possible. An EU- accession of other Balkan states can not override it for him. Zeman recognize the sovereignty of Kosovo not to.
• The president spoke repeatedly against homosexuality and delayed, for example the appointment of the homosexual literary scholar Martin Putna professor.
• In 2010, Zeman spoke in favor of a Euro accession of his country.

Criticism and controversy

Zeman is known for his sharp, sometimes offensive language. He often makes statements that are directed against Sudeten Germans and Muslims.

2002, the then German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from his visit to Prague because Zeman had called the Sudeten Germans as " Hitler's fifth column ". Furthermore, Zeman had cynically claimed that Czechoslovakia had done with the expulsion of the Sudeten Germans a favor because they thereby " Heim ins Reich " had come. The expulsion he classifies as " moderate " than the death penalty. During the election campaign for the presidential election in 2013, he used sharp, not always factual words over its competitors Karel Schwarzenberg and called him derogatory " Sudeťák " ( Czech for Sudeten Germans ). The Austrian daily newspaper Die Presse writes the election Zeman's "unprecedented, anti-German, smear campaign " against Schwarzenberg to.

In February 2002, Zeman suggested in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that Israel should expel the Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as Czechoslovakia has once driven the Germans from the Sudetenland. The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, he compared in an interview with Adolf Hitler. In June 2011, he called Islam an "enemy ", an " anti- civilization, extending from North Africa to Indonesia. Two billion people live in it, partly funded by oil, partly by the drug trade. " Muslims who believe in the Quran, he exhibited in a number of anti-Semites and Nazis. Then, a criminal case was initiated against him.

Zeman acknowledges openly that he likes to drink alcohol and formerly was a follower of Becherovka and consumed today prefer plum brandy. His sympathy in the Czech public is not harmful.

Strong criticism reaps Zeman, since he tried as President to extend his powers contrary to the previous usage - among other things ahead of the parliamentary election in 2013: After the failure of the government Petr Necas to Zeman put across all majority in the House of Representatives and appointed instead of the members nominated by the former coalition parties Miroslava Nemcova Jiří Rusnok with the formation of a non-party caretaker government. Zeman founded with the goal to force early elections. His critics - mainly from the outgoing government coalition - threw Zeman before then, he would cut short the parliamentary system of government. In fact, however, although no majority for the government Rusnok apparent in the confidence vote, but there was no clear majority for another government constellation. The Chamber of Deputies dissolved itself on and then it came to the aims of Zeman early House of Representatives elections.

In the election, the Social Democrats received rather than a general expectation of votes accrued gains even losses of 2%: Zeman supported the efforts of the Vice - party leader of the Social Democrats Michal Hašek, the incumbent party chairman Bohuslav Sobotka and top candidates to replace. Many people think that this is contrary to a neutral administration. In fact, Hašek but Sobotka could not prevail and Zeman announced to give the order to form a government.