Miroslav Kalousek
| Miroslav Kalousek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 13 July 2010 – 10 July 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Petr Nečas |
| Preceded by | Eduard Janota |
| Succeeded by | Jan Fischer |
| In office 9 January 2007 – 8 May 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Mirek Topolánek |
| Preceded by | Vlastimil Tlustý |
| Succeeded by | Eduard Janota |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 December 1960 Tábor, Czechoslovakia |
| Political party | TOP 09 |
| Other political affiliations |
KDU-ČSL |
| Spouse(s) | Radka Kalousková |
Miroslav Kalousek (b. December 17, 1960 in Tábor) is a Czech politician, former Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic. He is also the First Deputy Chairman and the principal founder of the Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 party (TOP 09).
Kalousek was previously a member and also chaired the then-government party Christian Democrats.
Kalousek studied chemistry at a university in Prague. Since 1990 he worked in the civil service. His most notable position held was at the Ministry of Defense where he was responsible for the budget and acquisitions (1993 - 1998).
In 1998 and 2002 Kalousek was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. In 2003 he was elected as leader of KDU-ČSL. The party was in slow decline and Kalousek was seen as a tough person not giving up a seemingly lost case. In fact, the party declined further under his leadership.
Minority government's scandal
Parliament election in 2006 resulted in a situation where no party or coalition of parties was able to form a viable government. Over a period of many months a number of alternatives was negotiated with no result.
On August 24, 2006 Kalousek unexpectedly accepted an offer from Jiří Paroubek to start negotiations on a minority government of KDU-ČSL and the Social Democratic Party which would be tolerated by the communists. The presidium of the party expressed no objections.[1]
Such negotiation was in conflict with the pre-election promises and the vocal anti-communist stance of the party and its electorate.[2][3]
On August 25, 2006 mass protests by KDU-ČSL members, regional organisations and members of parliament went public. The party group in Brno (the biggest regional organisation) refused the negotiated solution and asked for the resignation of Kalousek and of the whole presidium of KDU-ČSL. Other organisations made similar demands. Some members of parliament declared that they won't support such government.[2]
On the evening of the same day the country-wide committee of KDU-ČSL refused the proposal by an overwhelming majority and Kalousek resigned. According to Miroslav Kalousek, his negotiation with Jiří Paroubek was part of a plan on how to destroy the government coalition of ČSSD and ODS which otherwise seemed to be the most likely scenario. That gaol was in fact achieved when ODS refused to participate in a "big coalition" and created its own government with minority support in the Parliament.
In 2009, after a supposed drift of KDU-ČSL to the political left, Kalousek left the party altogether, and with several former KDU-ČSL colleagues created a new party called TOP 09. This party has celebrated a success in the parliamentary election and until July 2013 was one of the three parties governing the Czech Republic as part of the centre-right "coalition of fiscal responsibility".
References
- ↑ "Vedení KDU-ČSL za Kalouskem nestálo, ale neřeklo to", novinky.cz, August 28, 2006, accessed August 30, 2006
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lidovci v krajích žádají rezignaci vedení strany, ČeskéNoviny.cz, ČTK, August 25, 2006, accessed August 30, 2006
- ↑ KDU-ČSL ukončila jednání s ČSSD, Kalousek rezignuje, ČeskéNoviny.cz, ČTK, August 25, 2006, accessed August 30, 2006
External links
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