Press Advisories

13. 7. 2010 15:42

Members of Prime Minister Petr Nečas' Government are Named

Today, 13 July 2010, President Václav Klaus, acting on a proposal by Petr Nečas, the new 11th prime minister of the Czech Republic, named the individual members of the government. Petr Nečas replaces the previous prime minister, Jan Fischer, who led the government with his caretaker cabinet for more than a year.

Outgoing Prime Minister Jan Fischer wished the new government great success. „It is also a selfish wish by a citizen of this country,“ Fischer said yesterday.

Petr Nečas was entrusted by the president to create a new government on the basis of the results of parliamentary elections which took place in May. In addition to the Civic Democrats, the TOP 09 and Věcí veřejné parties will sit in the governing coalition. All three parties expressed agreement with the 50-page coalition agreement through the signatures of representatives of all three parties on 12 July in Hrzánský Palace at Prague Castle. Aside from the leaders of the coalition parties, the document was also signed by the negotiators who took part in the makeup of the government. The leaders of the parties set fiscal responsibility, law and the fight against corruption as goals for the government.

„A great deal of work awaits us, and I am convinced that I and my colleagues are aware of the responsibility that we bear on behalf of the citizens,“ Nečas said after signing. According to Karel Schwarzenberg, a difficult path full of slanders and protests awaits the realisation of a „government of fiscal responsibility.“ „I believe that we will hold together through these difficulties and that noone will misuse the situation to attack each other,“ new Deputy Prime Minister Schwarzenberg said after signing the agreement. The new government now has 30 days to appear before MPs and request a confidence vote.

The top leadership of the three coalition parties, ODS, TOP 09 and VV, have held talks since the end of May on the formation of a cabinet and the government's programme goals. In the period, which lasted seven weeks, they set seven programme chapters, and the newly-named ministers have committed to be governed by their content in the following term.

The main goal of Petr Nečas' government is to stop the country's indebtedness and maximally limit space for corruption. The seven programme chapters are also devoted to issues of education, health care, justice and security.

Karel Schwarzenberg, the head of TOP 09 and foreign minister, will sit as first deputy prime minister in Prime Minister Petr Nečas' government. He has previously served as foreign minister in Topolánek's cabinet. The second deputy prime minister is Radek John of Věci veřejné. John's original profession is as a screenwriter and journalist.

Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09) will hold the position of finance minister, replacing Eduard Janota. Kalousek is not leading the ministry for the first time; he held the same position in Topolánek's government.

The defence ministry will be led by Alexander Vondra (ODS), who was in charge of European affairs in Mirek Topolánek's government.

Martin Kocourek, an economic expert from the Civic Democrats, is in charge of leading the ministry of industry and trade.

Vít Bárta, a graduate of the Police Academy and representative of Věci veřejné who until now has served as the general director of a security agency, is the transportation minister.

Leoš Heger replaces Dana Jurásková as health minister; his original profession is as a doctor specialising in radiology, and has long served as the director of the Faculty Hospital in Hradec Králové. He is a member of TOP 09.

Another representative of the Civic Democrats who will sit in the Nečas' government is Environment Minister Pavel Drobil, an attorney.

Václav Riedlbauch will hand over the position of culture minister to Jiří Besser of TOP 09. Jiří Besser, whose original profession was dentistry, has held the mayorship of the city of Beroun for several terms.

Leadership of the ministry of labour and social affairs will be entrusted to TOP 09 Deputy Chairman Jaromir Drábek, and the president named psychologist Josef Dobeš of Věcí veřejné to be education minister.

Another minister who has held his position in the past is Jiří Pospíšil, who has been entrusted to lead the justice ministry. In September of 2009 he was given the management of the Law Faculty of Western Bohemia University in Plzeň, where he was elected deacon in November of the same year. Now he will also be the chairman of the government's Legislative Council, replacing Pavel Zářecký.

The local development minister will be Kamil Jankovský, whose original field is construction. He is a member of VV. The agriculture ministry will be led by Ivan Fuksa (ODS), who until now has been the first deputy finance minister.

Prime Minister Nečas was born in December 1964 and comes from Uherské Hradiště. After graduating studies in physics, he worked as a research and scientific worker in the parliamentary committee for defence and security and as a scientific worker at the Tesla Rožnov company. He was first elected as an MP in 1992. He has served in such positions as chairman of the parliamentary committee for defence and security and as the first deputy defence minister. He was minister of labour and social affairs in both of Mirek Topolánek's governments, and at the same time deputy prime minister. Petr Nečas is married. He has four children with his wife Radka – Ondřej, Tomáš, Tereza and Marie.

According to the coalition agreement, six Civic Democrats will take ministerial seats, five representatives of TOP 09 and four from Věci veřejné.

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