Petr Fiala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Petr Fiala
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Fiala in 2022
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| Prime Minister of the Czech Republic | |
| Assumed office 17 December 2021 |
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| President | Miloš Zeman Petr Pavel |
| Deputy |
See list
Vít Rakušan
Marian Jurečka Vlastimil Válek Ivan Bartoš (2021–24) |
| Preceded by | Andrej Babiš |
| Leader of the Civic Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office 18 January 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Petr Nečas |
| Minister of Education, Youth and Sports | |
| In office 2 May 2012 – 10 July 2013 |
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| Prime Minister | Petr Nečas |
| Preceded by | Josef Dobeš |
| Succeeded by | Dalibor Štys |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2013 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 September 1964 Brno, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) |
| Political party | ODS (since 2013) |
| Spouse |
Jana Fialová
(m. 1992) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Kramář's Villa, Prague |
| Alma mater | |
Petr Fiala (born 1 September 1964) is a Czech politician and expert in political science. He has been the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic since December 2021. He also leads the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) since 2014. Before becoming Prime Minister, he was the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports from 2012 to 2013. He was also the head, or rector, of Masaryk University.
Fiala was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2013. He joined the Civic Democratic Party and became its leader in 2014. He promised to improve the party's image after a past corruption scandal. In the 2017 election, his party came in second. They chose to stay in opposition, even when offered a chance to join the government.
In 2020, Fiala helped create an alliance called Spolu ("Together"). This group included his party, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09. He became their candidate for Prime Minister in the 2021 election. The alliance focused on being responsible with money and having strong ties with NATO and Europe. Spolu surprisingly won the most votes in the election.
Under Fiala's leadership, Spolu formed a government with another alliance, Pirates and Mayors. They had a strong majority of 108 out of 200 seats. President Miloš Zeman appointed Fiala as Prime Minister on 28 November 2021. His government officially started on 17 December 2021. He was the first Prime Minister from Brno and the first with a background in political science.
When Fiala became Prime Minister, he aimed to fix the country's growing national debt. However, soon after, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. His government quickly sent aid to Ukraine and welcomed many Ukrainian refugees. Fiala supported sanctions against Russia. In 2022, the Czech Republic led the Council of the European Union. His government also faced challenges like rising prices and an energy crisis.
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Early Life and Education
Petr Fiala was born in Brno into a Catholic family. His father was a Holocaust survivor. Fiala studied history and Czech language at Masaryk University from 1983 to 1988. After graduating, he worked as a historian in a museum in Kroměříž.
In 1996, he became a university lecturer at Charles University in Prague. By 2002, he was named the first professor of political science in the Czech Republic. In 2004, he became the head of the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University. Later that year, he was elected as the rector (head) of the university.
Fiala was re-elected as rector in 2008 and served until 2011. During his time as rector, Masaryk University grew a lot. It became very popular and created a system to find academic plagiarism. The university also built a new campus for biomedicine and opened a research station in Antarctica. They also started the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) with European funding.
Public Activities and Career
Early Activism and Publishing
In the 1980s, Fiala was involved in independent activities. He hosted seminars in Brno about political philosophy. He also took part in unofficial Christian activities. With other students, he started a secret university magazine called Revue 88.
After 1989, Fiala continued his publishing work. He was an editor for magazines like Proglas and Revue Politika. In 1993, he founded the Centre for the Study of Democracy and Culture (CDK). This group works on ideas about democracy.
Work in Higher Education
Fiala has been very active in groups related to education and research. He was the vice-chair and then chair of the Czech Rectors' Conference. He was also a member of the council of the European University Association. In 2007, he joined the council of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. He has received many awards for his academic work, including the Golden Plaque of the President in 2011.
Entering Politics
In September 2011, Fiala became an advisor to Prime Minister Petr Nečas. On 2 May 2012, he was appointed Minister of Education, Youth and Sports. He held this position until 2013.
In the 2013 election, Fiala was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as an independent. He then joined the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) in November 2013. In 2014, he became the leader of the ODS. He was re-elected as party leader in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
In the 2017 election, ODS came in second place. Fiala chose not to join the government led by ANO 2011. Instead, ODS remained an opposition party. In November 2017, Fiala was elected Deputy President of the Chamber of Deputies.
ODS gained more support in the 2018 local elections and won the Senate election that year. Fiala then started talks with KDU-ČSL and TOP 09 to form an alliance for the 2021 election. They agreed to form the SPOLU ("Together") alliance, and Fiala became their candidate for Prime Minister.
Before the 2021 election, polls suggested that ANO 2011 would win. However, Spolu won the most votes, and opposition parties gained a majority of seats. The opposition parties agreed to nominate Fiala as Prime Minister. On 8 November, five parties signed an agreement to form a new government. On 9 November, President Miloš Zeman formally asked Fiala to form the government. Fiala's proposed cabinet was approved, and he became Prime Minister on 28 November 2021.
As Prime Minister
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Petr Fiala was appointed the 13th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on 28 November 2021. He said his government would bring positive changes, but also warned that the next year would be challenging. His government officially took office on 17 December 2021. They won a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies on 13 January 2022.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Fiala's government strongly supported Ukraine. They pushed for tough sanctions against Russia and sent weapons and aid to Ukraine. On 15 March 2022, Fiala, along with the Prime Ministers of Poland and Slovenia, visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This visit showed strong support for Ukraine.
In July 2022, the Czech Republic took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Fiala gave a speech to the European Parliament, calling for the defense of European values and continued support for Ukraine. He also supported including nuclear energy as a renewable resource. The Czech Presidency under Fiala was seen as very successful. On 6 October 2022, Fiala led the first 1st European Political Community Summit in Prague.
Starting in 2023, the Czech Republic faced economic challenges, including high inflation and a decrease in real wages. In October 2023, Fiala condemned the October 7 attacks and expressed strong support for Israel. He visited Israel on 25 October 2023 to show solidarity.
In February 2024, Fiala attended a summit in Paris to discuss military support for Ukraine. He proposed buying 500,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from other countries. Several nations, including the Netherlands and Belgium, pledged money for this plan.
Fiala has continued to work part-time at Masaryk University during his time as Prime Minister. Some people have questioned if this is possible given the demands of his job.
Political Views
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Petr Fiala is a conservative politician. He believes in a strong Czech Republic within Europe and opposes "political extremism" and "populism". He does not support same-sex marriage. Fiala is a strong supporter of Israel.
In 2016, Fiala stated that "radical Islam is at war with Europe" and that the European Union should not accept migrants who might pose a risk. He also opposed taking Czech soldiers out of the war in Afghanistan. Fiala has expressed concerns about Russia and China being involved in building a new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. He has also said that the human impact on climate change is "not entirely clear," which has led to some criticism.
In June 2020, a statue of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Prague was vandalized. Fiala condemned this act, calling Churchill a "great democratic politician" who helped defeat Adolf Hitler. He described the graffiti as "stupid and shameful."
Before the 2021 election, Fiala was critical of the European Green Deal, which aims to promote a green economy. However, in May 2021, he wrote that the Green Deal is a reality. He believes the Czech Republic should use it as a chance to modernize its economy and improve life by investing in sustainable development.
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Fiala also chairs the board of directors for a think tank called Pravý břeh.
Foreign Policy Views
In October 2015, Fiala suggested that Western ground forces might be needed in the Middle East to solve migration and instability issues. However, he opposed Russia's involvement in the fight against Islamic State.
In June 2018, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II. Fiala responded that bringing up such past events with a one-sided view does not help good relations between countries.
In October 2019, he criticized the military actions of Turkey, a NATO member, against the Kurds in northern Syria. He said this made the situation in the Middle East worse.
Fiala welcomed the victory of the Law and Justice party in the 2019 Polish elections. He noted that his party and Law and Justice had worked together in the European Parliament. He also stated he would work to reduce the negative effects of the Polish Turów brown coal mine on Czech territory.
Fiala supports Israel and its policies. He criticized other Czech ministers for condemning Israel's plans to annex certain areas in the West Bank.
In 2020, he supported the visit of the Czech Senate President to Taiwan. This visit aimed to show support for Taiwan's democracy.
In May 2024, Fiala called the International Criminal Court's request for an arrest warrant against Israeli leaders "appalling and absolutely unacceptable." He stressed that Hamas attacked Israel first.
Fiala welcomed the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. He expressed hope for Syria's future, emphasizing freedom and stability.
Personal Life
Fiala is married to Jana Fialová, a biologist. They met during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. They have three children. He is a Roman Catholic and was baptized in 1986. Fiala enjoys playing football and tennis. He also likes shooting, skiing, swimming, jazz music, and James Bond movies.
Honours and Awards
Czech Republic:
- 2010: Brno University of Technology gave Fiala the Golden Medal of VUT for his cooperation.
- 28 January 2011: Masaryk University awarded Fiala its Golden Medal for his work as Rector.
- 26 August 2011: President Václav Klaus awarded Fiala the Golden Plaque of the President of the Republic for his work as Rector of Masaryk University. He was the first Rector to receive this award.
- 2022: Fiala received the University of Ostrava Award for Freedom, Democracy, Bravery and Humanity after his visit to Kyiv during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
European Union:
- 2002: Fiala was awarded the Jean Monnet Chair in European Political Integration.
Poland:
- 2022 Fiala received the Man of the Year Award at the 31st Economic Forum in Karpacz.
Ukraine:
- 2022 Fiala was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise I degree by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
See also
In Spanish: Petr Fiala para niños
