Jiří Drahoš (born 20 February 1949; ) is a Czech
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...
and politician who has been the
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
of
Prague 4
Prague 4, formally the Prague 4 Municipal District (''Městská čast Praha 4''), is a second-tier municipality in Prague. The administrative district (''správní obvod'') of the same name consists of municipal districts Prague 4 and Kunratice.
...
since October 2018. Previously, Drahoš served as President of the
Czech Academy of Sciences
The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, , abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back to the Royal Bohemian Society of Sc ...
from 2009 to 2017, and was a candidate in the
2018 Czech presidential election.
Born in
Český Těšín
Český Těšín (; ; ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants.
Český Těšín lies on the west bank of the Olza (river), Olza river, in the heart of the historical ...
and raised in nearby
Jablunkov
Jablunkov (; , ) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. The town has a significant Polish minority in the Czech Republic, Polish minority. It is inhabited by a la ...
, Drahoš studied physical chemistry at the
University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, and joined the
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. () is one of the six institutes belonging to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CAS chemical sciences section and is a research centre in a ...
of the
Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences
The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Czech: ''Československá akademie věd'', Slovak: ''Česko-slovenská akadémia vied'') was established in 1953 to be the scientific center for Czechoslovakia. It was succeeded by the Czech Academy of Science ...
in 1973, which he later led from 1995 to 2003. In 2009, he was elected President of the Czech Academy of Sciences. His term as head of the academy ended on 24 March 2017.
In March 2017, Drahoš announced his candidacy for
President of the Czech Republic
The president of the Czech Republic, constitutionally defined as the President of the Republic (), is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.
The presidency has largely bee ...
in the
2018 election. He ran on a moderate
centrist
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
platform, and is generally
pro-European
Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Pol ...
and supportive of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
and
Atlanticism
Atlanticism, also known as Transatlanticism or North Atlanticism, is the ideology which advocates a close alliance between nations in Northern America (the United States and Canada) and in Europe on political, economic, and defense issues. The te ...
. Drahoš lost the second round of the presidential election to his opponent President
Miloš Zeman
Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
with 48.6% of the vote, but vowed to remain in public life. In October 2018, he stood for the
Czech Senate
The Senate () is the upper house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The seat of the Senate is Wallenstein Palace in Prague.
Structure
The Senate has 81 members, chosen in single-seat constituencies through the two-round system. If no ...
in the Prague 4 district, winning
the election outright in the first round with 52.65% of the vote.
He is a member of the
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, ) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 38 Nobel Prize laureates. The European Academy of Sciences and ...
.
Early life and career
Jiří Drahoš was born on 20 February 1949 in
Český Těšín
Český Těšín (; ; ) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants.
Český Těšín lies on the west bank of the Olza (river), Olza river, in the heart of the historical ...
to a Czech father originally from
Skuteč
Skuteč (; ) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,100 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Skuteč consists of 13 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):
*Skut ...
in
Vysočina, and a
Polish mother from Jablunkov. He spent most of his childhood in
Jablunkov
Jablunkov (; , ) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. The town has a significant Polish minority in the Czech Republic, Polish minority. It is inhabited by a la ...
, where his mother Anna lived and worked as a nurse. His father, also named Jiří, was a teacher in a local Czech school.
Drahoš studied at the
University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and qualified as a scientist in 1972. He joined the
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i. () is one of the six institutes belonging to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CAS chemical sciences section and is a research centre in a ...
at the
Czech Academy of Sciences
The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, , abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back to the Royal Bohemian Society of Sc ...
, and was later head of the institute from 1996 to 2003. On 13 March 2009, Drahoš was elected President of the
Czech Academy of Sciences
The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, , abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back to the Royal Bohemian Society of Sc ...
, defeating
Eva Syková
Eva Syková (born 1944) is a Czech neuroscientist whose research focused on the origins, mechanisms and maintenance of ionic and volume homeostasis in the central nervous system and the role of extrasynaptic transmission, spinal cord injury. She ...
. During his tenure, he successfully opposed 50% budget cuts to the Academy proposed by the governments of Prime Ministers
Mirek Topolánek
Mirek Topolánek (, born 15 May 1956) is a Czech Republic, 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 (Czech Republic), Civic Democr ...
and
Jan Fischer as a consequence of the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
. Drahoš later called it an "attempt to destroy my motherly institution". In 2012, President
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
awarded him the
Medal of Merit in the field of science. His second term as head of the academy ended on 24 March 2017. He is co-author of 14 patents.
Political career
2018 presidential campaign
On 28 March 2017, Drahoš announced his intention to stand in the
2018 presidential election.
On 24 April 2017, he started gathering the signatures required to be registered as a candidate.
In July 2017, after meeting with Drahoš, the leaders of
Populars and Mayors,
Pavel Bělobrádek
Pavel Bělobrádek (; born 25 December 1976) is a Czech Republic, Czech politician who served as the leader of Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party, KDU-ČSL from 2010 to 2019.
Political career 2010–2013
In the 2010 C ...
and
Petr Gazdík, announced that they would ask their respective parties' members to nominate and endorse Drahoš's candidacy.
Mayors and Independents endorsed Drahoš on 25 July 2017 while the
Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Ch ...
(KDU–ČSL) endorsed him on 14 November 2017.
Young Social Democrats also endorsed Drahoš on 9 December 2017.
Polls in late 2017 showed Drahoš as the second strongest candidate behind Zeman.
Drahoš received campaign donations from several influential businessmen, including
Dalibor Dědek,
Jiří Grygar
Jiří Grygar (; born March 17, 1936, in Heinersdorf, Germany, now Dziewiętlice, Poland) is a Czech astronomer, popularizer of science and Kalinga Prize (1996) laureate.
Career
After studying physics at the Masaryk University in Brno and as ...
and
Luděk Sekyra.
Drahoš started gathering signatures for his nomination in May 2017.
On 19 August 2017, Drahoš announced he had gathered 78,000 signatures.
He submitted his nomination on 3 November 2017 with 142,000 signatures.
On 4 November 2017 on Facebook, Drahoš criticized
Mirek Topolánek
Mirek Topolánek (, born 15 May 1956) is a Czech Republic, 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 (Czech Republic), Civic Democr ...
, who had announced his candidacy that day, describing Topolánek as similar to Miloš Zeman and calling his candidacy a bad joke.
The two candidates met during a presidential debate at
Charles University
Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...
; Drahoš reflected that the status he posted was "Topolánek-like", to which Topolánek replied that it was written either by "a woman or PR mage".
Drahoš received media attention when he expressed his fear that the election could be influenced by Russia. He met outgoing Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka
Bohuslav Sobotka (; born 23 October 1971) is a Czech politician and lawyer who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from January 2014 to December 2017 and leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) from 2010 until his res ...
to discuss the matter and stated he would also meet the new Prime Minister
Andrej Babiš
Andrej Babiš (; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as the Finance Minister of the Cze ...
.
The incumbent president
Miloš Zeman
Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
criticized Drahoš and compared his actions to
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
's when she lost to
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
.
Drahoš received criticism when he published a status on social media about
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
' amnesty, when it was revealed that he had copied a similar status by his fellow presidential candidate
Michal Horáček
Michal Horáček (born 23 July 1952) is a Czech Republic, Czech entrepreneur, lyricist, poet, writer, journalist and music producer. From 2007 until 2010, he was the chairman of the Czech Academy of Popular Music. He founded Czech betting compan ...
. Drahoš apologised and attributed the mistake to an external member of staff.
The first round was held on 12 and 13 January 2018. Drahoš received 1,369,601 (26.6%) votes, and advanced to the second round against the incumbent president
Miloš Zeman
Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
.
In the second round, held on 26–27 January 2018, Drahoš received 48.63% of the vote and thus lost to Zeman. Drahoš conceded defeat to Zeman, telling a crowd of his supporters that "I would like to congratulate election winner Miloš Zeman".
Senate
Following the 2018 presidential election, Drahoš vowed to remain in public life, and in March 2018 announced his bid for the Prague 4
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
seat in the
2018 election, nominated by
Mayors and Independents and supported by
TOP 09
TOP 09 (, ) is a liberal-conservative list of political parties in the Czech Republic, political party in the Czech Republic, led by Markéta Adamová, Markéta Pekarová Adamová. 14 of its members sit in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Rep ...
, KDU–ČSL and the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice.
Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
.
He won
the election outright in the first round, with 52.65% of the vote.
At the beginning of November 2022, Drahoš was elected 1st Deputy President of the Czech Senate replacing
Jiří Růžička, having received 67 out of 80 votes in a secret ballot.
In the
2024 Czech Senate elections, he defended his seat as a non-party member of STAN in Senate District No.20 - Prague 4, with the support of STAN, Pirates, ODS, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09. He won the first round of the election, receiving 48.21 % of the vote. On 30 October 2024, he was re-elected as the 1st Deputy President of the Senate, with 61 votes from the 79 senators present.
Political views
Drahoš considers himself a
centrist
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
politician. As a candidate, Jiří Drahoš has presented himself as someone who can unite society, and as a respectable person who would act according to the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
. Drahoš emphasises the importance of Czech science and education and has called for solidarity with those "who cannot take care of themselves".
[ He has called for a "responsible approach" to the landscape and environment and has described human reason, creativity and ingeniousness as the only "renewable resource" of the wealth of the Czech Republic.]
Drahoš wants the Czech Republic to play an active role in discussions over the future of the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, and wants the country to be a part of the Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...
. He supports European integration
European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...
but has said that he believes that the European Union should not impose unnecessary regulations
Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...
on member states. He also said that he would not rush into Czech adoption of the Euro. Drahoš opposes a referendum about Czech membership of the European Union, and said that important geopolitical questions should not be decided by referendum. He supports the Czech Republic's membership of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
.
In August 2015, Drahoš signed a petition named "scientists against fear and apathy" in opposition to both anti-Islamic radicalism and anti-immigrant populism.
Drahoš suggested that the Catalan independence referendum was "not legal", supporting the position of the Spanish government
The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the o ...
.
In 2017, Drahoš said he supports the sanctions against Russia imposed by the United States and the EU. However he also said that having good relations with Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
is in the interest of the Czech Republic and European Union. Drahoš supports trade and economic relations with China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, arguing that "China is a superpower" and "many countries are doing business with China."
In 2017, Drahoš rejected the European Union's proposal of compulsory migrant quotas, saying, "there is no successful model of Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
integration in Europe". Drahoš also said that "Europe can't feed 100 million Africans, it is necessary to help them at home."
Drahoš described the pre-war German minority in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
as "Adolf Hitler's fifth column", and said that he agreed with the post-war expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia
The expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II was part of a broader series of Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), evacuations and deportations of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe during and after World War II.
...
.
Drahoš has described himself as a sympathizer with Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
References
External links
Scientific publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drahoš, Jiří
1949 births
Czech chemists
KDU-ČSL presidential candidates
Candidates in the 2018 Czech presidential election
Living people
Mayors and Independents presidential candidates
Presidents of the Czech Academy of Sciences
People from Český Těšín
People from Jablunkov
Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)
Czech people of Polish descent
Czechoslovak people of Polish descent
Mayors and Independents politicians
Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava alumni
Physical chemists
Mayors and Independents senators