Petr Fiala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Petr Fiala
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Fiala in 2024
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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 a political scientist. He has been the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic since December 2021. He is also the leader of 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 also served as the head, or rector, of Masaryk University.
Fiala was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2013. He became the leader of the Civic Democratic Party in 2014. He promised to improve the party after a corruption scandal. In the 2017 election, his party came in second place. They chose to stay in opposition, even though the new Prime Minister Andrej Babiš offered them a chance to join his government.
In 2020, Fiala helped create a group of parties called Spolu ("Together"). This group included his party, KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09. He became their candidate for prime minister in the 2021 Czech legislative election. The Spolu alliance surprised many by winning the most votes in the election.
Under Fiala's leadership, Spolu formed a coalition agreement with another group called Pirates and Mayors. Together, they had enough seats to form a government. President Miloš Zeman officially made him prime minister on 28 November 2021. His government, called Petr Fiala's Cabinet, started work on 17 December.
When Fiala became prime minister, he promised to fix the country's growing national debt. However, soon after, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. His government quickly sent aid to Ukraine. They also welcomed many Ukrainian refugees, more than any other country per person. Fiala put sanctions on Russia and supported blocking Russian citizens from traveling to the European Union. He also strongly supported Israel during the Israel–Hamas war. In 2022, the Czech Republic was in charge of the Council of the European Union. Fiala's government also faced challenges like rising prices and concerns about the economy.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Petr Fiala was born in Brno, a city in the Czech Republic, in 1964. He grew up in a conservative Catholic family. His father was partly of Jewish background and survived the Holocaust.
Fiala studied history and Czech language at Masaryk University from 1983 to 1988. After he graduated, he worked as a historian in a museum in Kroměříž.
In 1996, he became a teacher at Charles University in Prague. In 2002, he became 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 chosen to be the rector (head) of the university. He was re-elected in 2008 and stayed in this role until 2011.
While Fiala was rector, Masaryk University grew a lot. It became the most popular Czech university for students applying. It also created a system to find academic cheating. During this time, the university built a new campus for biomedicine. It also opened a research station in Antarctica. A major research center, the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), was also started.
Early Career and Public Work
In the 1980s, Fiala was involved in activities that were not officially approved by the government. He held secret seminars in Brno about political ideas. He also took part in unofficial Christian groups. He helped create a secret university magazine called Revue 88.
After 1989, when the government changed, Fiala continued his work. He edited magazines like Proglas and Revue Politika. In 1993, he started a group called the Centre for the Study of Democracy and Culture (CDK). This group works on ideas about democracy.
Fiala has also worked with many 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 several awards for his academic work.
Political Journey
In September 2011, Fiala became an advisor to Prime Minister Petr Nečas. He advised on science topics. On 2 May 2012, he was appointed Minister of Education, Youth and Sports. He held this job until Nečas resigned in 2013.
In the 2013 election, Fiala was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. He ran as an independent candidate. In November 2013, he joined the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). In 2014, he ran for the leadership of ODS and was elected on 18 January. He was re-elected as party leader in 2016 and 2018.
Fiala led ODS into the 2017 election. The party came in second place. He decided not to join a government with ANO 2011. ODS remained an opposition party. In November 2017, Fiala was elected Deputy President of the Chamber of Deputies.
Under Fiala, ODS did well in the 2018 local elections and the Senate election. He was re-elected as ODS leader in 2020.
ODS also gained seats in the 2020 regional elections. After this, Fiala began talks with KDU-ČSL and TOP 09. They decided to form an alliance for the 2021 election. This alliance was called SPOLU ("Together"). Fiala became their candidate for Prime Minister.
Before the election, polls suggested ANO 2011 would win. But Spolu won the most votes. Other opposition parties also won many seats. The opposition parties agreed to support Fiala as prime minister. On 8 November, five parties signed an agreement to form a new government. They promised to reduce government debt. On 9 November, President Miloš Zeman asked Fiala to form a government. On 17 November, Fiala showed Zeman his proposed government members. Zeman agreed to appoint Fiala as prime minister on 26 November.
As Prime Minister
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On 28 November 2021, President Miloš Zeman appointed Petr Fiala as the 13th Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. Fiala said his government would bring positive changes. He also warned that the next year would be tough for many people. His government officially started on 17 December 2021. Fiala's government won a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic on 13 January 2022.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Fiala and his government took a strong stand against Russia. They pushed for tough sanctions and supported Ukraine joining the European Union. The Czech Republic quickly sent weapons and aid to Ukraine. On 15 March 2022, Fiala visited Kyiv with the prime ministers of Poland and Slovenia. They met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show their support. This visit was seen as a brave step, as it was the first time foreign leaders visited Kyiv since the invasion began.
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. He spoke about protecting European values and continuing to support Ukraine. He also pushed for nuclear energy to be considered a renewable resource, which was approved. His leadership during the presidency was praised for achieving "historic results." On 6 October 2022, Fiala led the first 1st European Political Community Summit in Prague.
Starting in 2023, the Czech Republic's economy faced challenges. It went into a recession, meaning the economy shrank. The country also saw high debt growth and a decrease in real wages. This was despite other European Union countries starting to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Czech Republic also had the highest inflation rate in the EU during this time.
In October 2023, Fiala spoke out against Hamas' attack on Israel. He supported Israel's right to defend itself during the Israel–Hamas war. He said Israel is important for stability in the Middle East. On 25 October 2023, Fiala visited Israel to show his support.
In December 2023, Fiala's approval rating among the Czech public dropped to 16% in some polls. This was one of the lowest ratings for a Czech Prime Minister since Petr Nečas.
On 26 February 2024, Fiala attended a meeting in Paris about the military situation in Ukraine. He suggested buying 500,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from other countries. This idea had been discussed before. During the meeting, the Netherlands and Belgium announced they would provide money for this purpose. Fifteen nations supported the plan.
On 24 June 2024, Argentine President Javier Milei visited the Czech Republic. He was welcomed by Petr Fiala and Czech President Petr Pavel.
Political Beliefs
Fiala is a conservative politician. He has some soft Eurosceptic views, meaning he is cautious about the European Union. He says he is against "political extremism" and "populism" (leaders who try to gain support by appealing to popular desires rather than using rational arguments). 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." He also said that the European Union should not accept migrants who might be a risk. He was against taking Czech soldiers out of the war in Afghanistan. Fiala also opposed Russia and China helping to build a new nuclear power plant in Dukovany. He has also said that human impact on climate change is "not entirely clear." This comment was criticized by environmental experts.
In June 2020, a statue of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Prague was spray-painted. It had the words "He was a racist. Black Lives Matter" on it. This happened during protests against racism. Fiala condemned the vandalism. He called Churchill a "great democratic politician" who helped defeat Adolf Hitler. He described the graffiti as "stupid and shameful."
Before the 2021 election, Fiala criticized the European Green Deal. This is a plan by the European Commission to move towards a green economy. However, in May 2021, he wrote that the Green Deal is a "reality." He said the Czech Republic should use it as a chance to improve its economy. This would involve investing in sustainable development and renewable resources.
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Fiala also leads the board of a group called Pravý břeh. This group is a think tank that focuses on liberal-conservative ideas.
Views on Foreign Issues
In October 2015, Fiala suggested that Western ground forces should go into the Middle East. He believed this was needed to solve problems with migration and instability. However, he was against Russia being involved in the fight against Islamic State.
In June 2018, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about Germans who were forced to leave Czechoslovakia after World War II. She said there was no good reason for this. Fiala replied that bringing up the past in a one-sided way does not help relations between countries.
In October 2019, he criticized Turkey's military actions against the Kurds in northern Syria. Turkey is a NATO member. Fiala said the situation in the Middle East got worse because of this.
Fiala welcomed the victory of the Law and Justice party in the Polish elections in October 2019. He noted that his party and the Polish party had worked together in the European Parliament. He also said he would try to reduce the negative effects of a Polish coal mine near the Czech border.
Fiala supports Israel and its policies. He criticized other Czech ministers for speaking out against Israel's plans to expand settlements in the West Bank.
In 2020, he supported the visit of the Czech Senate President and other senators to Taiwan. This visit showed support for Taiwan and its democracy.
In May 2024, Fiala called the International Criminal Court's request for an arrest warrant against Israeli leaders "appalling and absolutely unacceptable." He said that Hamas attacked Israel first. When arrest warrants were issued in November 2024, Fiala again criticized the decision. He said it weakened the ICC's authority to put Israeli leaders on the same level as terrorist groups.
Personal Life
Fiala is married to Jana Fialová, a biologist. They met as students during the Velvet Revolution. They have three children. He is a Roman Catholic and was baptized in 1986. Fiala played football until he was 40. He also enjoys tennis, shooting, skiing, swimming, jazz music, and James Bond movies.
Awards and Recognition
Czech Republic:
- 2010: Received the Golden Medal of VUT from Brno University of Technology.
- 28 January 2011: Awarded the Golden Medal of Masaryk University by its rector.
- 26 August 2011: Received the Golden Plaque of the President of the Republic from Václav Klaus. He was the first university rector to get this award.
- 2022: Received the University of Ostrava Award for Freedom, Democracy, Bravery and Humanity after his visit to Kyiv.
European Union:
- 2002: Awarded the Jean Monnet Chair for his work on European Political Integration.
Poland:
- 2022 Received the Man of the Year Award at the Economic Forum in Karpacz.
Ukraine:
- 2022 Awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise I degree by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
See also
In Spanish: Petr Fiala para niños
