Petr Nečas

Petr Nečas
9th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
In office
13 July 2010  10 July 2013
President Václav Klaus
Miloš Zeman
Preceded by Jan Fischer
Succeeded by Jiří Rusnok
Leader of the Civic Democratic Party
In office
20 April 2010  17 June 2013
Preceded by Mirek Topolánek
Succeeded by Petr Fiala
Minister of Defence
In office
21 December 2012  19 March 2013
Preceded by Karolína Peake
Succeeded by Vlastimil Picek
Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
In office
4 September 2006  8 May 2009
Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek
Preceded by Zdeněk Škromach
Succeeded by Petr Šimerka
Member of Parliament for Zlín Region
In office
1 January 1993  28 August 2013
Personal details
Born (1964-11-19) 19 November 1964
Uherské Hradiště, Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic)
Political party Civic Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Radka Nečasová (1984-2013)
Jana Nečasová (2013–present)
Children Ondřej
Tomáš
Tereza
Marie
Alma mater Jan Evangelista Purkyně University (now Masaryk University)
Religion Roman Catholicism[1]
Signature
Website Official website

Petr Nečas (born 19 November 1964; Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtr̩ ˈnɛtʃas]) is a Czech businessman, lobbyist and former politician who served as 9th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Leader of the Civic Democratic Party from 2010 to 2013, and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Zlín Region from 1993 to 2013.

Born in Uherské Hradiště, Nečas earned doctor of natural sciences degree at Masaryk University in Brno from physics. In 1991, he was one of the co-founders of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). Becoming an MP in 1993, he served as a member of the Foreign Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and three years later, he became Chairman of the Committee on Security. In 2006, Nečas was appointed as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs under leadership of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek. In the Chamber of Deputies, he was given nickname Fidel by the communist MPs due to his long filibustering.[2] The 2010 legislative election led to Nečas becoming Prime Minister as the head of the coalition government with TOP 09 and Public Affairs (VV) (later replaced by Liberal Democrats). His premiership was marked by the ongoing effects of the late-2000s financial crisis; these involved a large deficit in government finances that his government sought to reduce through austerity measures. Cabinet led by Nečas pushed on restitutions of the properties of the Christian Churches, pensionary reform and reform of the colleges, all of the mentioned were deeply unpopular and criticized.

Nečas resigned on 17 June 2013, in the aftermath of a police investigation in which his chief of staff and mistress Jana Nagyová (now Nečasová) was arrested. His resignation opened the way to the 2013 snap election, where his party ODS was marginalized to only 16 seats, the lowest in history and sent into the opposition.

He has been praised for savings and for reining in the Czech Republic's national debt. His critics often accuse him of corruption and inability of solving healthcare issues.[3]

Private life and education

Nečas was born in Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic, on 19 November 1964.[4] He attended gymnasium in Uherské Hradiště from 1979 to 1983. He graduated from the Faculty of Science at the University of J.E. Purkyně in Brno in 1988.[4]

Nečas met his future wife, Radka Nečasová, at school when he was 18. In 2013, he filed for divorce and not long after married his former chief of staff, Jana Nagyová.

Career

Peter Nečas studied plasma physics. Before he was elected to the Czech Parliament he worked as research and development engineer in the semiconductor industry, dealing with plasma processes. From 1988 to 1992, he worked as developer for Tesla Rožnov. He became a member of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) in 1991 and was named deputy defence minister in 1995. One year later, he was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies. From 4 September 2006 to 8 May 2009, Nečas was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.

In March 2010, he replaced Mirek Topolánek as leader of the party. The Civic Democratic Party won second place in the 2010 Czech legislative election and shortly after that Nečas announced his intention to stand for the post of party chairman.[5][6]

In 2011 Nečas supported European organizations signing an agreement on the establishment of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience for studies on the totalitarian past. On this occasion, Nečas highlighted that all four countries of the Visegrad Group have gone through two totalitarian regimes in their modern history. “This must not be forgotten, because it was a period of fight for freedom,” said Petr Nečas. He added: “Our nations deserve the truth about their past and I believe that the establishment of this Platform will help to find the truth about this history.”

In 2012 Prime Minister Petr Nečas urged all Czechs to avoid drinking "any alcohol whose origin is uncertain" due to a fatal methanol poisoning affair in the Czech Republic which caused more than 40 casualties, including several cases of people being blinded.

In 2013 Nečas supported Israel on the occasion of the Czech Republic's voting at the United Nations.[7] Due to an historical affinity, Nečas claimed, "We've got a special feeling for Israel's situation—that of a small nation surrounded by enemies."[8]

In June 2013, the Police Unit for Combating Organized Crime and the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Olomouc organized a raid against organized crime. It involved several high-ranking state officials and politicians, including Jana Nagyova, the then chief of staff of Prime Minister Nečas. Initially Nečas refused to resign but he finally did so on 17 June.[9][10] In February 2014, the police charged him with bribery.[11]

See also

References

  1. Katolík Nečas pochválil Klause i Duku kvůli katedrále [online]. [27 December 2010]. Dostupné online. (Czech)
  2. "Obstrukce ve sněmovně stokrát jinak. ODS boduje" (in Czech). 5 February 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  3. "Nečasova vláda skončila. Jak ji hodnotit?" (in Czech). 10 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Dr. Petr Nečas". Government. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  5. Kopecký, Josef (30 May 2010). "Nečas a Sobotka den po volbách řekli, že budou kandidovat na šéfy stran – iDNES.cz" (in Czech). iDnes. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  6. "Czech ODS leader Necas wants to be Prime Minister". České Noviny (Czech Press Agency). 30 May 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  7. Cnaan Liphshiz (18 May 2012). "Czech PM to 'Post': We'll support Israel in EU". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  8. "Klaus names Necas new Czech prime minister". České Noviny (Czech Press Agency). 28 June 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  9. "Nečas už není premiér, na Hradě předal Zemanovi demisi" (in Czech). idnes.cz. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  10. Jiřička, Jan (14 June 2013). "Nečas odsoudil postup policie, trafiky považuje za politickou dohodu". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  11. Hana Válková (11 February 2014). "Policie obvinila expremiéra Neèase z podplácení bývalých poslancù ODS". iDNES.cz.

Media related to Petr Nečas at Wikimedia Commons

Party political offices
Preceded by
Mirek Topolánek
Leader of the Civic Democratic Party
2010–2013
Succeeded by
Martin Kuba
Political offices
Preceded by
Jan Fischer
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
2010–2013
Succeeded by
Jiří Rusnok
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