Mirek Topolánek

Mirek Topolánek [ mɪrɛk tɔpɔla nɛk ː ] ( born May 15, 1956 in Vsetín ) is a Czech politician ( ODS). He was from September 2006 to May 2009 Prime Minister of his country. As prime minister, he was during the Czech Presidency in the first months of 2009, until his replacement by Jan Fischer also Chairman of the European Council.

Life

Education and work

Topolánek studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Brno. After graduating from the late 70s he worked for several years as a planning and project engineer ibid the Czech coal producer in OKD Ostrava and in Energoprojekt. In 1991, he founded the company in UAE, which is active in the energy sector.

Policy

Since 1989, Topolánek was politically active, first at the local level, from 1996 as a Member of the Czech Senate. In 2002 he became Deputy Senate President, succeeding Václav Klaus as Chairman of the ODS.

In the parliamentary elections in July 2006, this received the most votes and was represented in the new parliament with 81 MPs of 200. Along with the announced coalition partners ( Christian Democrats and Greens) reached exactly 100 seats, the same number as the left-wing political parties had in Parliament, which consisted of the Social Democrats, CSSD under the leadership of former Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek and the Communists, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. In Parliament there was therefore a political stalemate.

Topolánek therefore speculated on the formation of a minority government, which should be supported by the Social Democrats by an opposition agreement. It was not possible Topolánek to move the Social Democrats to tolerate this government. In September 2006, he formed Although such a government, which included 10 members of the ODS and 6 non-party. This government, Mirek Topolánek, I did not find with only 96:99 because of the negative vote by the Social Democrats the necessary approval by the Parliament. Topolánek had to offer the president in accordance with the constitutional requirements of his resignation, but was provisionally with his government in office. After two Socialist MEP ( Miloš Melčák and Michal Pohanka ) had in the meantime left the group and had announced that it would not be a majority capable of forming a government Topolánek in the way Topolánek formed ultimately originally Advised Cabinet Topolánek II from ODS, Christian Democrats and Greens. Although President Klaus stated his reservations against such, in need of government defectors, yet appointed on 9 January 2007, the Minister. The government received on 19 January 2007 by the Parliament confidence ( 100:97 votes - one abstention), because the defector had left the room during the vote. But since in the course of the legislature had left the own faction individual Members and the Group of the Greens had split up to Topolánek could no longer rely on a safe majority in Parliament at least since the end of 2008.

A crushing defeat of his party in the elections to the Senate and to the parliaments of the regions in October 2008 weakened its position. On 7 December 2008, Topolánek was able to prevail in a crucial vote to the party presidency against the ODS Pavel Bem, who as President Václav Klaus represents the Eurosceptic wing of the party. On March 24, 2009 - during the EU presidency of the Czech Republic - but lost a Topolánek initiated by the Social Democrats vote of confidence in parliament, and handed in his resignation on March 26. Until the appointment of the Government Jan Fischer on May 8, 2009, he again remained provisionally in office.

After the holding of early elections in October 2009 failed due to concerns of some Members to a necessary for the re-election constitutional amendment, put Topolánek September 15, 2009 his seat down. After disparaging remarks about Jews, homosexuals and the church renounced Topolánek, under pressure from the ODS management, end of March 2010 on its top candidate for the regular Senate elections in 2010 and came back in April 2010 as chairman of the party. New top candidate and party chairman Petr Necas was.

Topolánek rose then from out of politics and has been dedicated to Managementätigkeiten energy.

Private

Topolánek since June 2010 in second marriage with Lucie Talmanová, his party colleague at ODS, married. With his first wife Pavla he has two daughters and a son and a granddaughter; the couple divorced after years of separation, 2010. For discussion in the Czech public made ​​shortly after the 2006 elections, however, the disclosure of a relationship with Lucie Talmanová, then one of the Vice- Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, which in 2007 was still illegitimate son she bore him. The popularity of the incumbent Prime Minister, this has not harmed because the Czech public in this regard against politicians is tolerant. The relationship with Talmanová, however, has meant that Pavla Topolánková in protest against her husband as a candidate of the faction " Politika 21" took in the Senate elections in 2006 and achieved a moderate success in their constituency with more than 10 % of the vote.

Topolánek also hurt hardly a nude photo scandal to take part in a feudal party of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Despite becoming aware of these photos, ODS 2009 was the strongest party in the European elections in the Czech Republic.

Topolánek mastered English and understands German, Russian and Polish.