Petr Fiala | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fiala in 2022 | |
| Prime Minister of the Czech Republic | |
| Assumed office 28 November 2021 | |
| President | Miloš Zeman Petr Pavel |
| Deputy | See list |
| Preceded by | Andrej Babiš |
| Leader of theCivic Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office 18 January 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Petr Nečas |
| Minister of Education, Youth and Sports | |
| In office 2 May 2012 – 10 July 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Petr Nečas |
| Preceded by | Josef Dobeš |
| Succeeded by | Dalibor Štys |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-09-01)1 September 1964 (age 60) Brno,Czechoslovakia (nowCzech Republic) |
| Political party | ODS (since 2013) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Kramář's Villa, Prague |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | pfiala |
Petr Fiala (Czech pronunciation:[ˈpɛtr̩ˈfɪjala]; born 1 September 1964) is a Czech politician and political scientist who has been theprime minister of the Czech Republic since December 2021 and leader of theCivic Democratic Party (ODS) since 2014. He previously served as theMinister of Education, Youth and Sports from 2012 to 2013. Prior to entering politics, he was therector ofMasaryk University.
Fiala was first elected to theChamber of Deputies as a non-partisan in the2013 election. He won the2014 Civic Democratic Party leadership election, promising to reform the party and regain public trust after acorruption scandal involving Prime MinisterPetr Nečas. Fiala's party finished a distant second place in the2017 legislative election, and remained in opposition despite multiple offers from the incoming Prime MinisterAndrej Babiš to participate in his governing coalition.
In 2020, Fiala led the initiative for acentre-right electoral alliance withKDU-ČSL andTOP 09, known asSpolu. He became its candidate for the premiership in the2021 Czech legislative election, running on apro-Western andpro-European centre-right platform, focused on fiscal responsibility and closer relations withNATO as part ofAtlanticism. The alliance outperformed initialopinion polls and received the highest number of votes in the election, though with one seat fewer in the Chamber of Deputies than second-placedANO 2011.
Under Fiala's leadership, Spolu formed acoalition agreement with thePirates and Mayors alliance, with a majority of 108 of 200 seats. He was appointed prime minister by PresidentMiloš Zeman on 28 November 2021 andPetr Fiala's Cabinet took power on 17 December, making him the third oldest person to hold the office, as well as the first with apolitical science background and the first fromBrno.
Fiala came into office promising to reform and stabilize the government's growingnational debt; however, the early months of his premiership saw theRussian invasion of Ukraine, the provision ofaid to Ukraine, and the opening of the Czech Republic's borders to the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita in the ensuingUkrainian refugee crisis.[1] Fiala imposedsanctions on Russia and pushed to block Russian citizens from travelling to theEuropean Union. He expressed strong support for Israel during theIsrael–Hamas war. In 2022, the Czech Republic held thepresidency of the Council of the European Union. Fiala's administration also facedrising inflation, concerns about theeconomy, the ongoingglobal energy crisis, fall of real wages and low approval ratings.
Petr Fiala was born inBrno to aconservativeCatholic family.[2] His father, who was partly of Jewish origin, was aHolocaust survivor.[2][3] Fiala studied history and Czech language at the Faculty of Literature ofMasaryk University between 1983 and 1988, and after graduating he worked as ahistorian in a local museum inKroměříž.[4]
In 1996, he became adocent atCharles University inPrague, and in 2002 he was named as the first professor ofpolitical science in theCzech Republic.[5] In 2004, he becamedean of the Faculty of Social Studies atMasaryk University, and in the same yearwas elected as rector of the university, defeating Jan Wechsler in the third round.[6] Fiala was reelected in 2008 and remained in the position until 2011.[5] While Fiala was rector, Masaryk University increased its enrollment to around 45,000 students, became the most popular Czech university in terms of applications, and created a nationwide system for detecting academic plagiarism.[7] During this period, Masaryk University built a new €220 million campus for biomedicine, opened aresearch station in Antarctica, and established theCentral European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) using CZK 5.3 billion from theEuropean Structural and Investment Funds. CEITEC launched in 2011.[8]
In the 1980s, Fiala was involved in independent civic activism. Between 1984 and 1989, he participated in the so-called underground university, hosting seminars in Brno focused on political philosophy.[9] He was involved in unofficial Christian activities, especially in the circle of secretly consecrated Bishop Stanislav Krátký.[10] Along with other Brno students, he founded thesamizdat university magazineRevue 88, published in 1988–1989.[11]
After November 1989, Fiala continued his publishing and civic activism, working as an editor for magazines such asProglas,Revue Politika, andKontexty. In 1993, he founded the Centre for the Study of Democracy and Culture (CDK), a civic think-tank. Fiala was criticized for his activities during the 2021 election campaign because the centre was accepting state subsidies.[12]
Fiala has been active for a long time in institutions and bodies related to higher education and research in the Czech Republic and abroad. He served as vice-chair of theCzech Rectors' Conference from 2005 until 2009, and chair between 2009 and 2011. Fiala was a member of the council of theEuropean University Association between 2009 and 2011. In 2007, he was elected by the Chamber of Deputies to the council of theInstitute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, where he served for five years. He is a member of many scientific and academic councils of public and private universities and research institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad. He has received a number of awards for his scientific and academic work; in 2011 he was awarded the Golden Plaque of the President of the Republic.[13]
In 2005, he was part of the commission in the competition of Czech and Moravian wines, TOP 77.[14]
In September 2011, Fiala served as chief aide for science to Prime MinisterPetr Nečas, and was appointed asMinister of Education, Youth and Sports in Nečas' government on 2 May 2012,[15] remaining in that post until Nečas resigned in 2013.
In the2013 legislative election, Fiala was elected as anindependent to theChamber of Deputies. TheCivic Democratic Party (ODS) was defeated in the election and Fiala joined the party in November 2013.[16] In 2014, Fiala announced his candidacy for the leadership of ODS, andwas elected as the party's fourth leader on 18 January. He was re-elected as party leaderin 2016.
Fiala led ODS into the2017 legislative election, in which the party finished second with 11% of the vote. He refused to negotiate withANO 2011 about joining the subsequent government, and ODS remained in opposition.[17] On 28 November 2017, Fiala was elected Deputy President of the Chamber of Deputies, receiving 116 of 183 votes.[18] Fiala was reelected leader of ODS in2018.
With Fiala as leader, ODS made gains in the2018 municipal elections and won theSenate election of the same year.[19][20] Fiala wasreelected leader of ODS in 2020.
ODS also made gains during the2020 regional elections.[21] Fiala then started negotiating withKDU-ČSL andTOP 09 about forming an electoral alliance for thelegislative election in 2021.[22] ODS, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09 reached an agreement to form an alliance calledSPOLU ("Together").[23] Fiala became the alliance's candidate for the post ofPrime Minister.[24]
Ahead of the election, opinion polls suggested thatANO 2011 would win, but in an electoral upset Spolu won the highest number of votes, and opposition parties won a majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies.[25] The opposition parties signed a memorandum agreeing to nominate Fiala for the position of prime minister.[26] On 8 November, five Czech parties, ranging from theliberal-conservativeCivic Democrats to the centre-left liberalPirate Party, signed a pact to form a new centre-right coalition government and pledged to cut budget deficits.[27] On 9 November, President Miloš Zeman formally asked Fiala to form a new government.[28] On 17 November 2021, Fiala introduced Zeman tohis proposed cabinet and Zeman agreed to appoint Fiala the new prime minister the same year on 26 November.[29] In November 2021, Fiala confirmed that he would like to continue with the Spolu coalition into the 2022 Senate and municipal elections.[30]
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On 28 November 2021, PresidentMiloš Zeman appointed Petr Fiala as the 13thPrime Minister of the Czech Republic.[31] Following his appointment, Fiala said he believed his government would bring change and improve the lives of people in the Czech Republic, but that the next year would be difficult for many citizens and the Czech Republic itself.[32] His appointment took effect upon his Cabinet being sworn in, on 17 December 2021. Fiala's government won aconfidence vote in theChamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic on 13 January 2022 by 106–86.[33]
Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Petr Fiala and his government took a tough stance onRussia, pushing for the toughest sanctions against Russia and supportingUkraine's accession to theEuropean Union. After the invasion, the Czech Republic immediately began supplying weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. On 15 March 2022, Fiala, together withPolish Prime MinisterMateusz Morawiecki andSlovenian Prime MinisterJanez Janša, visitedKyiv to meet with Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy in a display of support for Ukraine.[34] The train journey, described by the media as a "risky mission",[35] as well as an "extraordinary attempt to demonstrate support",[36] was the first visit by foreign leaders to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion,[37] and was hailed by President Zelenskyy as a "great, brave, correct and sincere step" after the meeting.[38]
In July 2022, he officially accepted thePresidency of the Council of the European Union on behalf of the Czech Republic. He delivered a speech on the floor of the European Parliament, in which he called for the defense of European values, continuing support for Ukraine, and the inclusion of nuclear energy as a renewable resource (which was subsequently approved by a vote from MEPs).[39][40] The Presidency of the Council under Fiala was considered to have "achieved historic results", as stated by theFirst Vice-President of the European CommissionFrans Timmermans.[41][42] On 6 October 2022, Fiala chaired the1st European Political Community Summit in Prague.[43]
Starting from 2023, the Czech Republic went into recession,[44] and subsequently continued to underperform economically relative to otherEuropean Union member states, which were showing signs of recovery from theCovid-19 pandemic.[45] The Czech Republic also experienced high debt growth and a decrease in real wages,[46] despite a decrease in the EU-average level of debt,[47] and registered the highest inflation rate in the EU during the2021–2023 inflation surge.[48]
In October 2023, Fiala condemnedHamas'attack on Israel, and expressed his support for Israel's right to self-defence and actions during the subsequentIsrael–Hamas war.[49] He said that Israel was "the only functioning democracy in the Middle East and is the key to stability in the region."[50] On 25 October 2023, Fiala visited Israel to express solidarity with the country.[51]Nigeria cancelled a planned visit by Fiala on 8 November 2023.[52]
During 2023, Fiala and his government encountered deeply negative ratings from the Czech public.[53] In December 2023, Fiala's approval rating dropped to 16% in some polls, one of the lowest approval ratings among world leaders,[54] and the lowest for a Czech Prime Minister sincePetr Nečas.[55]
On 26 February 2024, Fiala attended an emergency summit in Paris hosted byEmmanuel Macron, to discuss the military situation inUkraine, as they had recently suffered theloss of Avdiivka. Fiala proposed the purchase of 500,000 rounds of artillery ammunition forVolodymyr Zelensky's forces from foreign sources. The Czech Republic were raising the proposal for the second time in one month, after the first proposal had been vetoed by France in theEuropean Council.[56] Whilst in Paris,Mark Rutte announced that the Dutch government would provide €100 million for this purpose, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced that his government would provide €200 million, among 15 nations which announced support for the proposal.[57]
On 24 June 2024, Argentine PresidentJavier Milei visited the Czech Republic and was greeted by Petr Fiala and Czech PresidentPetr Pavel.[58]
Aconservative,[59][60][61] he holdssoft Eurosceptic views,[62] and says that he opposes "political extremism" and "populism".[63] He opposessame-sex marriage as he stated in his book.[64] Numerous Czech-based firms have called on Fiala to approve LGBT marriage.[65][66][67] Fiala is a staunch supporter ofIsrael.[68][69]
In August 2016, Fiala stated that "radical Islam is at war with Europe" and that the European Union should not accept migrants who pose a risk.[70] He opposed the withdrawal of Czech soldiers from thewar in Afghanistan.[71] Fiala expressed opposition to Russian and Chinese involvement in the construction of the new unit of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant.[72] He also claimed that human impact on climate change is "not entirely clear", which was met with criticism and accusations of populism from environmental experts.[73]
At the beginning of June 2020, a statue in Prague of the British Prime MinisterWinston Churchill, in Winston Churchill Square in Žižkov, was spray-painted with the inscription "He was a racist.Black Lives Matter", referring to a wave of protests against police brutality and racism triggered by themurder of George Floyd in the United States. Fiala condemned the vandalism of Churchill's statue, describing Churchill as "the great democratic politician ... who contributed to the defeat of Adolf Hitler", and criticised the graffiti as "stupid and shameful."[74]
Prior to the 2021 election, Fiala criticised theEuropean Green Deal, a political initiative of the European Commission to promote the transition to agreen economy.[75][76] However, he wrote in May 2021: "The Green Deal is reality. There is no point in speculating how it could be otherwise. Now we must seize the opportunity to modernize the Czech economy and improve the quality of life by investing in sustainable development, renewable resources and thecircular economy."[77]
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Fiala also serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the independent liberal-conservative think tankPravý břeh.
In October 2015, Fiala called for a military invasion by Western ground forces in the Middle East, stating: "We will not solve the problem of migration and destabilization of the Middle East and North Africa unless we take military action." On the other hand, he opposed Russian involvement in the war againstIslamic State.[78]
In June 2018, commemorating displaced peoples and refugees, German ChancellorAngela Merkel condemned theexpulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia and other Central and Eastern European countries after World War II, arguing that there was no moral and political justification for the expulsion. Fiala responded that "pulling things out of the past with a one-sided interpretation certainly does not help the development of mutual relations."[79]
In October 2019, he condemned themilitary aggression of Turkey, a NATO member state, against theKurds inRojava in northern Syria, stating that "the situation in the Middle East has deteriorated significantly since this Turkish military operation in northern Syria."[80]
Fiala welcomed the victory of the rulingLaw and Justice (PiS) party in thePolish parliamentary elections in October 2019, noting that ODS and PiS had been cooperating for a long time in a common European Parliament political group.[81] He also stated that he would limit the negative impacts on Czech territory of mining in the PolishTurów brown coal mine near the Czech border.[82]
Fiala supports Israel and its policies. He criticised Foreign MinisterTomáš Petříček, Minister of CultureLubomír Zaorálek and former Foreign MinisterKarel Schwarzenberg for their joint statement on 23 May 2020 condemning the plannedIsraeli annexation ofJewish settlements that Israel had built in the occupiedWest Bank since 1967.[83]
In 2020, he supported the official visit ofCzech Senate PresidentMiloš Vystrčil and other Czech senators toTaiwan to express support for the country and its democracy.[84]
In May 2024, he described theInternational Criminal Court's request for anarrest warrant against Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence MinisterYoav Gallant as "appalling and absolutely unacceptable", saying "We must not forget that it was Hamas that attacked Israel in October and killed, injured and kidnapped thousands of innocent people."[85] When arrest warrants were issued in November 2024 against Netanyahu, Gallant, and former Hamas commanderMohammed Deif, Fiala criticised the decision, saying through a spokesperson that "the ICC weakens its authority in different cases when it puts the democratically-elected representatives of Israel on the same level as terrorist organizations".[86]
Fiala welcomed thefall of the Assad regime inSyria, saying that "Assad's dependence on Russia ultimately failed". He voiced optimism for Syria's future, stressing the value of freedom and stability over anarchy or terrorist control.[87]
Fiala is married to biologist Jana Fialová, whom he met as a student during theVelvet Revolution. They have three children.[88] He is aRoman Catholic and was baptized in 1986. Fiala playedfootball until the age of 40 and also enjoystennis,shooting,skiing,swimming,jazz music andJames Bond movies.[89]
In January 2024, it emerged that Fiala had omitted to declare an ownership stake of almost 1 million CZK in the Podnikatelska Druzstevni Zaloznacredit union.[90]
Czech Republic:
European Union:
Poland:
Ukraine:
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Rector ofMasaryk University 2004–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Education, Youth and Sports 2012–2013 | Succeeded by Dalibor Štys |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of the Czech Republic 2021–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of theCivic Democratic Party 2014–present | Incumbent |
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