Cyril Svoboda
Cyril Svoboda (* November 24, 1956 in Prague) is a Czech politician. He was from 2001 to 2003 and from May 2009 to May 2010 Chairman of the KDU - CSL.
Life
After studying law, he worked as legal counsel in business and later at the Charles University in Prague. 1992 to 1996 he was First Deputy Minister of Justice, later Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the questions of the EU accession of the Czech Republic. In 1998 he served in the transitional government of Josef Tošovský the Office of the Minister of the Interior. In 1998, he was first elected to the Czech Chamber of Deputies, where he held the chair of the Committee on Petitions to 2002. 2001 to 2003 he was Chairman of the KDU - CSL, but was defeated at the election of the candidate of the right wing of the party Miroslav Kalousek, From 2002 to 2006, in the era of coalition with the CSSD, he served as foreign minister. In the coalition government of Mirek Topolanek (ODS ), he held the office of Minister without Portfolio and briefly the Office of the Minister of Rural Development. On 30 May 2009, Svoboda began at the party in Vsetín in the second round against his rival Jan Březina as successor by Jiří Čunek by. After leaving several members of the parliamentary party, including the former party chairman Miroslav Kalousek and the former Presidents Severa, Svoboda also was elected on 9 June 2009 for the Group Chairman of the KDU- CSL in the Chamber of Deputies. After the KDU- CSL had suffered a historic defeat in the parliamentary elections of 2010 and at the 5 % barrier had failed, Svoboda still occurred on election night back from the party chairmanship.
2011 founded Svoboda Prague Diplomatic Academy.
Svoboda is married and has four children.
Awards
- 2006: Grand Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 2008: Great Cross of Merit with Star and Sash ( Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany )
- 2012: Officer of the French Legion of Honour