Petr Nečas (; born 19 November 1964) is a Czech former politician who served as the
prime minister of the Czech Republic
The prime minister of the Czech Republic (Czech: ''Předseda vlády České republiky'') is the head of the government of the Czech Republic. The prime minister is the de-facto leader of the executive branch, chairs the Cabinet and selects its m ...
and leader of the
Civic Democratic Party from 2010 to 2013, and as Member of the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
(MP) from 1993 to 2013.
Born in
Uherské Hradiště
Uherské Hradiště (; german: Ungarisch Hradisch, hu, Magyarhradis) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...
, Nečas earned a
doctor of natural sciences degree in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
at
Masaryk University
Masaryk University (MU) ( cs, Masarykova univerzita; la, Universitas Masarykiana Brunensis) is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno as the seco ...
in Brno. 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
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
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 the leadership of Prime Minister
Mirek Topolánek
Mirek Topolánek (, born 15 May 1956) is a Czech politician and business manager who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2006 to 2009 and the leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) from 2002 to 2010. Between 2006 and 2 ...
. In the Chamber of Deputies, he was given the nickname ''Fidel'' by the communist MPs due to his long
filibuster
A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...
ing speeches. The
2010 legislative election led to Nečas becoming Prime Minister as the head of a
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
with
TOP 09
TOP 09 (name derived from cs, Tradice Odpovědnost Prosperita, lit=Tradition Responsibility Prosperity) is a liberal-conservative political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Pekarová Adamová. TOP 09 holds 14 seats in the Chamber of ...
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
Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...
measures. The cabinet led by Nečas pushed through laws on the restitution of the properties of the Christian churches, pensionary reform and reform of the
colleges
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
; all of these were deeply unpopular and were much criticized.
Nečas resigned on 17June 2013, in the aftermath of a
police investigation in which his chief of staff Jana Nagyová (now
Jana Nečasová
Jana Nečasová, formerly Nagyová (born July 21, 1964) is a former Czech politician and civil servant.
Nagyová was arrested at the onset of the major 2013 Czech political corruption scandal, a part of which is known as Nagyová's Case ( cz, K ...
), who was also his mistress, 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 its history, and sent into opposition.
He has been praised for the savings made to rein in the Czech Republic's national debt. His critics often accuse him of corruption and criticise his inability to solve
healthcare
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
issues.
Private life and education
Nečas was born in
Uherské Hradiště
Uherské Hradiště (; german: Ungarisch Hradisch, hu, Magyarhradis) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...
, Czech Republic, on 19November 1964.
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.
[
Nečas met his future wife, Radka Nečasová, at school when he was18. 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 a 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 a member of the Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
. 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
Mirek Topolánek (, born 15 May 1956) is a Czech politician and business manager who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2006 to 2009 and the leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) from 2002 to 2010. Between 2006 and 2 ...
as leader of the party. The Civic Democratic Party came second in the 2010 Czech legislative election and shortly after Nečas announced his intention to stand for the post of party chairman.
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 Visegrád Group
The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four, the V4, or the European Quartet) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-o ...
have gone through two totalitarian regimes in their modern history. “This must not be forgotten, because it was a period of fighting for freedom,” he said, adding: “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 as 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 with the Czech Republic's vote at the United Nations. 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."
In June 2013, the Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
Unit for Combating Organized Crime and the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on th ...
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. In February 2014, the police charged him with bribery.
Nečas left politics in 2013. He started to work for SPGroup. He also became a tutor at CEVRO Institute. In June 2017, Nečas became an adviser to Pavel Sehnal, leader of the newly established Civic Democratic Alliance
The Civic Democratic Alliance ( cs, Občanská demokratická aliance, ODA) was a conservative-liberal political party in the Czech Republic, active between 1989 (founded shortly after the Velvet revolution) and 2007. The ODA was part of govern ...
. Sehnal stated that the party would stand Nečas in elections if he didn't have to face charges from the time of his premiership.
See also
* Petr Nečas' Cabinet
Petr is a Czech language, Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name).
Given name
* Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, econo ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Necas, Petr
1964 births
Leaders of the Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)
Labour and Social Affairs ministers of the Czech Republic
Living people
People from Uherské Hradiště
Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic
Masaryk University alumni
Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) MPs
Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) prime ministers
Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) Government ministers
Defence ministers of the Czech Republic
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (1992–1996)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (1996–1998)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (1998–2002)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (2002–2006)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (2006–2010)
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (2010–2013)