Jaroslav Kubera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jaroslav Kubera
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| President of the Czech Senate | |
| In office 14 November 2018 – 20 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Milan Štěch |
| Succeeded by | Jiří Růžička (acting) |
| Vice President of the Czech Senate | |
| In office 19 November 2016 – 14 November 2018 |
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| Leader of the Civic Democratic Party in the Czech Senate |
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| In office 23 October 2012 – 8 November 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Svoboda |
| Succeeded by | Miloš Vystrčil |
| Senator from Teplice | |
| In office 19 November 2000 – 20 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Jaroslav Musial |
| Succeeded by | Hynek Hanza |
| Mayor of Teplice | |
| In office 1994 – 2 November 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Karel Feix |
| Succeeded by | Hynek Hanza |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 February 1947 Louny, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) |
| Died | 20 January 2020 (aged 72) Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic |
| Political party | ODS |
Jaroslav Kubera (born 16 February 1947 – died 20 January 2020) was an important Czech politician. He was a member of the Civic Democratic Party. He served as a Senator for the city of Teplice from 2000 until his death in 2020. From 2018, he was the President of the Czech Senate. Before that, he was the mayor of Teplice for many years, from 1994 to 2018.
Kubera thought about running for president in 2018. He even got enough support from other senators to sign up, but he decided not to run in the end. He passed away on 20 January 2020 after having a heart attack. He was the first high-ranking Czech official to die while still in office.
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Early Life and First Jobs
Jaroslav Kubera was born in a town called Louny on 16 February 1947. He went to university to study mathematics and business. However, he didn't finish his studies because he said he was too impatient. After leaving school, he worked at a glass company called Sklo Union Teplice. He also worked in the business part of Elektrosvit Teplice. In 1990, he started working for the city government in Teplice.
Political Career
Serving as Mayor of Teplice
In 1992, Kubera joined the Civic Democratic Party, often called ODS. In 1994, he led his party in the local election in Teplice and became the mayor. A mayor is the leader of a city or town government. He was the mayor for six terms, which means he served for a very long time.
As mayor, Kubera became known for his ideas to deal with crime in the city. He also sold some city-owned companies to private businesses. For example, he privatized the public transport company. This made Teplice the only city in the Czech Republic without a public transport company owned by the city.
Kubera led ODS to win the local election in 2018 one last time. After that, he worked with another political party, ANO 2011, to form a new city government. He then stepped down as mayor. His colleague, Hynek Hanza, took over the job.
Becoming a Senator
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A Senator is a person elected to represent a region in the country's parliament. Kubera first ran for the Senate in 1998. He won the first round of voting but lost in the second round. This was his only election loss.
He tried again in 2000 and won! He became a senator for Teplice. As a senator, he focused on similar issues that he worked on as mayor. He was re-elected as senator in 2006 and again in 2012. After the 2012 election, he became the leader of the ODS party in the Senate.
Even though he thought about not running again, Kubera ran for a fourth term in 2018. He won again, showing how much support he had in his region.
Considering the Presidency in 2018
In 2015, Kubera said he was thinking about running for president in 2018. He wanted to see who else would run before making his final decision. In 2017, he even mentioned that his decision would depend on whether his wife wanted to be the First Lady.
He announced that he had the support of 15 senators from different parties. This was enough to officially register as a candidate. However, he later decided not to run for president.
Leading the Senate
After the 2018 Senate election, Kubera decided to run for President of the Senate. This role is like the speaker or leader of the Senate. Many people thought he had a low chance of winning, but he worked with smaller groups in the Senate. On 14 November 2018, he won the election and became the new Senate President, replacing Milan Štěch.
When he became President, Kubera said he wanted to make the Senate more popular with Czech people. He planned to meet citizens and talk about the Senate's role in the country. He also wanted to visit all 81 Senate districts.
In his New Year's speeches, he talked about important issues. He warned about losing personal freedoms and criticized too many rules and regulations. He also spoke about the influence of social media and expressed concerns about freedom of speech.
In 2019, Kubera supported people's right to own guns. He also disagreed with President Miloš Zeman's idea to stop recognizing Kosovo as an independent country. Kubera said it was not possible and only a gesture.
Kubera also met with people from Taiwan. This made the Chinese ambassador in Prague unhappy. Kubera met with the ambassador and told him that the Czech Republic is a free country and China should respect that. In October 2019, Kubera announced he planned to visit Taiwan. President Zeman did not like this idea and said it was against the Czech Republic's interests. He even said he would end their friendship if Kubera went to Taiwan.
In January 2020, Kubera was still planning his trip to Taiwan to help with trade. A letter from the Chinese Communist Party was sent to his office, warning him about serious problems if he went. Kubera died unexpectedly before his trip. His family later said that threatening letters from the Chinese Embassy might have played a part in his sudden death.
Personal Life
Jaroslav Kubera was married to Věra Kuberová. They had known each other since they were children. They got married on 13 September 1968 and had two daughters. On 13 September 2018, they even had a second marriage ceremony to celebrate their long life together.
His Passing
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Jaroslav Kubera passed away on 20 January 2020 at a hospital in Ústí nad Labem. His death was a big shock for Czech politics. Many important politicians, like President Miloš Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, expressed their sadness. They remembered him as a friend and a great person.
Members of the Senate suggested honoring Kubera's memory. They even thought about building a special bench in the Senate with an ashtray, as he was known for his views on smoking.
President Zeman announced that he would give Kubera the Order of the White Lion, which is the highest award in the Czech Republic. However, Kubera's wife, Věra Kuberová, refused the award. She said it was because of the great pressure Kubera had faced from President Zeman and the Chinese embassy before he died.
Kubera's planned trip to Taiwan eventually happened, but after his death. Miloš Vystrčil, who became the new President of the Senate, led a large group from the Czech Republic to Taiwan in August 2020. Kubera was given an award from Taiwan, the Order of Propitious Clouds, after he passed away. Miloš Vystrčil accepted the award for him.
What He Believed In
Kubera was seen as a politician who held traditional, conservative views. He was critical of the European Union, but he didn't want the Czech Republic to leave it. He believed that individual countries should have more power than the Union. He also disagreed with some immigration policies.
He strongly supported a market economy, where businesses are mostly free from government control. He was against government money given to businesses, called subsidies. He thought these subsidies could harm the economy and lead to corruption.
Kubera was also well-known for being against laws that banned smoking. He said he wasn't just fighting for smokers' rights. He believed that such laws could lead to more rules that would limit people's freedoms in the future. He even joked that they might start making laws about fat people next.
Film Appearance
In 2017, Jaroslav Kubera had a small role in a historical movie called Toman. He played the part of Edvard Beneš, who was a former president of Czechoslovakia.
Honours
Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon (Republic of China, 2020) (given after his death)
