After three rounds of voting, the Czech parliament on Friday elected a new president: former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus
Published:
1 March 2003 y., Saturday
Former right-wing prime minister Vaclav Klaus was elected the new president of the Czech Republic on Friday, ending a crisis in finding a successor to post-Cold War giant Vaclav Havel, the parliamentary speaker said. Speaker Lubomir Zaoralek said to loud applause from lawmakers that Klaus had received 142 votes, one more than the majority of 141 required in the 281-member joint session of parliament.
His opponent, philosophy professor Jan Sokol who was the candidate of the center-left ruling coalition, had 124 votes in a third round that came after two inconclusive ballots earlier in the day, according to earlier unofficial results.
Lawmakers were trying for the third time since January to choose a president to succeed Vaclav Havel, who stepped down almost four weeks ago and had not yet been replaced.
Klaus got crucial support from previously non-aligned communists while deputies from Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla's Social Democrat party defected from the relatively unknown Sokol.
Havel, 66, a key figure in eastern Europe's transition to democracy and a moral force as president in the Czech Republic symbolizing the overcoming of divisive politics, stepped down on Feb. 2 after serving a maximum allowed two five-year terms, leaving a vacuum behind him.
Šaltinis:
dw-world.de
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
EU animal welfare rules must be more rigorously enforced, with more inspections and effective penalties, said the Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.
more »
Fifty-three year old Rasima collects dirt everyday from a paddy field in Indonesia’s east Java province, turning it into a snack made entirely from soil, called "ampo."
more »
At the moment an Argentinian working for a French company in Spain can't travel to France for a meeting on his long-term visa.
more »
An EU-wide strategy is needed to combat violence against women, which must be recognised as a crime, said participants in a European Parliament public hearing with national parliaments and civil society representatives, held on Tuesday to mark International Women's Day.
more »
You know its Tet in Vietnam when Peach and Kumquat orange trees decorate every home, shop and public establishment.
more »
A surveyor has set up his tripod and instruments under a hot tropical sun to measure plots of land in a village where the Dac Kray minority community were settled four years ago.
more »
Japanese men are answering the call of Valentine s Day a month late.
more »
In three urgent resolutions adopted on Thursday, Parliament urges Hamas to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, deplores the escalating criminal violence in Mexico and calls on South Korea to scrap the death penalty.
more »
The plight of Europe's 10 million Roma population will fall under the spotlight Tuesday afternoon when MEPs discuss an upcoming Roman summit.
more »
EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers have today adopted a Directive to prevent injuries and infections to healthcare workers from sharp objects such as needle sticks – one of the most serious health and safety threats in European workplaces and estimated to cause 1 million injuries each year.
more »