Zdeněk Hřib (born 21 May 1981) is a Czech healthcare manager and politician, who has served as chair of the Czech Pirate Party since November 2024, and served as the Mayor of Prague from November 2018 to February 2023. Initially a physician, Hřib held managerial and consulting positions in state, corporate and non-profit healthcare entities dedicated to digitization,

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach plac ...

, and

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 Prague municipal election, but assumed office following the 2018 municipal election, where the Pirates finished second and formed a governing coalition with the third- and fourth-placed parties that held 39 out of 65 seats in the Prague City Assembly.

Early life and career

Zdeněk Hřib was born on 21 May 1981 in

Slavičín Slavičín () is a town in Zlín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Slavičín consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Slavi ...

, near

Zlín Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...

in the south-east of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. He studied medicine 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 ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and participated in a student exchange program in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. Subsequently, Hřib held managerial positions in the healthcare industry, focusing on digitization of healthcare services. Since 2012, he has been the founding director of a non-profit organization that provides

, efficiency assessment and consulting for healthcare providers, as well as

for healthcare customers. In 2013, Hřib became a registered supporter of the Czech Pirate Party, and ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 Prague municipal election.

Political career

Mayor of Prague (2018–2023)

The Pirates finished second in the 2018 Prague municipal election, winning 13 out of 65 seats in the Prague City Assembly, and formed a governing coalition with the third- and fourth-placed lists which held 39 out of 65 seats. Hřib, as the leading Pirate candidate with 75,082 votes, was elected the Mayor of Prague on 15 November 2018 by the Prague City Assembly, taking over the office from Adriana Krnáčová. In 2018, during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Prague, Hřib was asked by the Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic to expel the representative of

, but refused to do so. He criticized a clause of the

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

agreement between Prague and Beijing that contained references to the One-China principle, stating that the policy is "a complicated matter of foreign politics between two countries" and therefore "has no place in the sister cities agreement". Hřib also subsequently criticized the retaliatory decision by the Chinese government to cancel a planned tour of China by the Prague Philharmonia as a politicization of culture. According to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Hřib was responsible for restoring the "Czech Republic's image as a champion of human rights". Hřib visited Taiwan twice as the Mayor of Prague, first in 2019 and again in 2020. On 17 January 2019, Hřib appealed to the city council to name a street in

in honor of Paweł Adamowicz, the former mayor of

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

who was assassinated on 13 January 2019. On 5 June 2019, the street in Riegrovy Sady park named after Adamowicz was officially inaugurated. He renamed the square in front of the Russian embassy " Boris Nemtsov Square" in February 2020. In April 2020, Hřib oversaw the removal of a

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

dedicated to Soviet marshal Ivan Konev, who is viewed by some in the Czech Republic as a symbol of Soviet-era oppression. In December 2019, Hřib was among the four mayors of Visegrád Group capitals Prague, Warsaw, Bratislava and Budapest, who signed the Pact of Free Cities, agreeing to protect "common values of freedom, human dignity, democracy, equality, rule of law, social justice, tolerance and cultural diversity". In April 2020, Hřib was put under police protection after Czech intelligence received evidence of a planned poisoning attack by the Russian secret service.

Leader of the Pirate Party (2024–present)

In November 2024, Hřib was elected as leader of the Pirate Party.

References

External links

*
Zdeněk Hřib
on Czech Pirate Party website {{DEFAULTSORT:Hrib, Zdenek 1981 births 21st-century Czech politicians Czech Pirate Party mayors Mayors of places in the Czech Republic Living people People from Slavičín Charles University alumni Mayors of Prague Leaders of the Czech Pirate Party