Bohuslav Sobotka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bohuslav Sobotka
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Sobotka in 2017
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| Prime Minister of the Czech Republic | |
| In office 17 January 2014 – 13 December 2017 |
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| President | Miloš Zeman |
| Deputy | Andrej Babiš (2014–17) Pavel Bělobrádek Richard Brabec |
| Preceded by | Jiří Rusnok |
| Succeeded by | Andrej Babiš |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 29 May 2010 – 15 June 2017 Acting: 29 May 2010 – 21 March 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Jiří Paroubek |
| Succeeded by | Milan Chovanec |
| In office 26 April 2005 – 13 May 2006 Acting |
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| Preceded by | Stanislav Gross |
| Succeeded by | Jiří Paroubek |
| Minister of Industry and Trade Acting |
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| In office 1 March 2017 – 4 April 2017 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Jan Mládek |
| Succeeded by | Jiří Havlíček |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 12 July 2002 – 4 September 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Vladimír Špidla Stanislav Gross Jiří Paroubek |
| Preceded by | Jiří Rusnok |
| Succeeded by | Vlastimil Tlustý |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1 June 1996 – 31 March 2018 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 October 1971 Telnice, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Spouse |
Olga Pekárková
(m. 2003; div. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Masaryk University |
| Signature |  |
Bohuslav Sobotka (born 23 October 1971) is a Czech politician and lawyer. He served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from January 2014 to December 2017. He was also the leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) from 2010 until June 2017. Before becoming Prime Minister, he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies (an MP) from 1996 to 2018. Sobotka also worked as the Minister of Finance from 2002 to 2006.
He was first elected as an MP in 1996. In 2002, he became the Finance Minister. He held this role in several governments led by Social Democratic Prime Ministers. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister twice. After the 2006 election, Sobotka became an opposition MP. In 2011, he was chosen as the leader of the Social Democrats. This made him the Leader of the Opposition.
After his party won the 2013 election, President Miloš Zeman appointed Sobotka as Prime Minister on 17 January 2014. He led a government made up of ČSSD, ANO 2011, and KDU-ČSL. His government worked on stopping people from avoiding taxes. They also improved relations with China and made changes to the police. A law banning smoking in public places was also introduced. Sobotka often had disagreements with President Miloš Zeman. These disagreements were about the situation in Ukraine and other national issues. Sobotka was the first Prime Minister in 15 years to complete his full term.
On 14 June 2017, he stepped down as leader of ČSSD. This was because his party was not doing well in public opinion polls. However, he decided to stay on as Prime Minister. He was re-elected as an MP in the South Moravian Region. In December 2017, Andrej Babiš took over as Prime Minister. Sobotka left the Chamber of Deputies on 31 March 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bohuslav Sobotka was born in Telnice. His family later moved to Slavkov u Brna. He studied law at Masaryk University and earned a Master's degree.
Starting His Political Journey
After the end of communism in Czechoslovakia, Sobotka helped to rebuild the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD). He also helped start the Young Social Democrats. This group is for young people who support the ČSSD.
He was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the 1996 election. This was his first big step in national politics.
Serving as Finance Minister
In 2002, when a new government was formed, Sobotka became the Finance Minister. He continued in this role under other Social Democrat Prime Ministers. As Finance Minister, he created a group of economic experts. This group later became the Czech Government's National Economic Council. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2003 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2006.
After the 2006 election, Sobotka became an opposition MP. He was the main finance spokesperson for the Social Democrats. His party won the 2010 election but could not form a government. They remained in opposition. Sobotka then became the temporary leader of ČSSD.
He was officially elected as the party leader on 18 March 2011. This made him the Leader of the Opposition.
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2014–2017)
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Sobotka led his party in the 2013 election. They won with 20.45% of the votes. He was named Prime Minister on 17 January 2014. President Miloš Zeman officially appointed him and his government on 29 January 2014. His government was a coalition government. It included members from ČSSD, ANO 2011, and KDU-ČSL. This government had 111 out of 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
As Prime Minister, Bohuslav Sobotka believed that being part of the European Union was good for the Czech Republic. He said it brought better safety and economic stability.
In May 2015, the opposition tried to remove his government. They called for a vote of no-confidence because of Finance Minister Andrej Babiš. But the attempt failed.
In December 2016, Sobotka suggested that large companies should pay more taxes. He said that big companies often send their profits out of the Czech Republic.
Sobotka's government introduced new ways to fight tax evasion. This included electronic sales records and a VAT control system. They also made relations with China stronger. Police reforms were put in place, and a law banning smoking in public was passed. He often had disagreements with President Miloš Zeman. These disagreements were about Russia's actions in Ukraine and other national issues.
On 2 May 2017, Sobotka announced he would resign. He said he could not be responsible for Finance Minister Andrej Babiš anymore. Sobotka felt Babiš had not explained his financial dealings clearly. However, Sobotka changed his mind on 5 May 2017. Instead, he decided to fire Babiš from his government.
On 14 June 2017, Sobotka announced he was stepping down as leader of ČSSD. This was due to low support for his party in polls. He said the party needed to change to connect better with people. But he chose to remain Prime Minister. After he resigned as party leader, Milan Chovanec became the acting leader. Lubomír Zaorálek became the party's candidate for Prime Minister. Sobotka still ran in the election as the party leader in the South Moravian Region and was re-elected. In December 2017, Andrej Babiš became the new Prime Minister. Sobotka was the first Prime Minister in 15 years to serve his full term.
After Being Prime Minister
In January 2018, Sobotka returned to his hometown of Vyškov. He said he wanted to restart his political career there. However, local ČSSD members did not plan for him to run in the upcoming local election. On 22 March 2018, Sobotka announced he would leave the Chamber of Deputies. He said he was doing this for personal reasons. His resignation became effective on 1 April 2018.
Personal Life
Bohuslav Sobotka was married to Olga Sobotková from 2003 to 2018. They have two sons together.
See also
In Spanish: Bohuslav Sobotka para niños
