Stanislav Gross Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Stanislav Gross


Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
In office 4 August 2004 – 25 April 2005
President	Václav Klaus
Preceded by	Vladimír Špidla
Succeeded by	Jiří Paroubek
Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 26 July 2004 – 26 April 2005
Preceded by	Vladimír Špidla
Succeeded by	Bohuslav Sobotka (acting)
Minister of the Interior
In office 5 April 2000 – 4 August 2004
Prime Minister	Miloš Zeman Vladimír Špidla
Preceded by	Václav Grulich
Succeeded by	František Bublan
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 6 June 1992 – 21 September 2004

Personal details
Born	(1969-10-30)30 October 1969 Prague, Czechoslovakia
Died	16 April 2015(2015-04-16) (aged 45) Prague, Czech Republic
Political party	ČSSD
Spouse	Šárka Grossová
Alma mater	Charles University (M.L.) University of West Bohemia (JD)
Profession	Lawyer
Signature

Stanislav Gross (born October 30, 1969 – died April 16, 2015) was a Czech lawyer and important politician. He served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic and leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party. He held these roles from 2004 to 2005.

Before becoming prime minister, he was the Minister of the Interior. He served in this position from 2000 to 2004. He was also a member of the Czech Parliament from 1992 to 2004.

Stanislav Gross passed away on April 16, 2015, at the age of 45. He died from a serious illness called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Stanislav Gross's Early Political Life
Becoming Minister of the Interior
Serving as Prime Minister
Challenges and Resignation
Later Life and Passing
Images for kids
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Stanislav Gross's Early Political Life

Stanislav Gross was born in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. For a short time, he worked as a trainee for the national railway company.

After a big change in his country called the Velvet Revolution in 1989, he joined the Social Democratic party. In 1992, he became a member of the Czech Parliament. He also studied law from 1993 to 1999 and earned a law degree.

Becoming Minister of the Interior

On April 5, 2000, Stanislav Gross was chosen to be the Minister of the Interior. This job involves overseeing the police and other internal security matters. He worked in the government led by Miloš Zeman.

After the elections in 2002, Gross continued as Minister of the Interior. He also became the deputy prime minister in the government of Vladimír Špidla.

During his time as minister, some issues within the police force became known. These included problems with how some businesses were chosen for government contracts. Gross stated that these issues were found because the police were getting better at finding such problems.

Despite these challenges, Stanislav Gross remained very popular with the public. Many people liked him, and his popularity reached over 70%. His youthful look, good communication skills, and ability to avoid difficult arguments helped him stay well-liked.

Serving as Prime Minister

In the 2004 European election, the Social Democratic party did not do well. This led to the resignation of the prime minister, Vladimír Špidla, on July 26. Stanislav Gross was then appointed prime minister on August 4, 2004. His government was officially approved on August 24.

His party hoped that Gross could help them regain popularity. However, this did not happen. In later elections for regional assemblies and the Senate, the Social Democrats faced more losses.

Gross had plans to update his party, similar to how Tony Blair changed his party in the UK. But his time as prime minister was short. He was often busy with various issues, which left him little time to make big changes. His popularity began to drop.

Challenges and Resignation

In early 2005, Stanislav Gross faced questions about how he paid for his apartment. This led to a lot of discussion in the media and growing public unhappiness. The situation turned into a government crisis.

For three months, Gross tried to stay in power. But he was eventually forced to resign on April 25, 2005. His popularity fell to a very low point.

In September 2005, Gross also stepped down from his role as party leader. This happened because of increasing questions about a business deal involving the sale of a chemical company called Unipetrol. Gross denied any wrongdoing, saying it was a conspiracy against him.

Later Life and Passing

After leaving top-level politics, Stanislav Gross began working for a law firm. He also served as the chairman of the Social Democrats' Security Commission for a period. Sometimes, the media wondered if he still had influence over decisions made within the Czech police.

In September 2007, a business magazine reported that Gross and his wife bought a large share in an energy company called Moravia Energo. The value of this share was estimated to be around 300 million Czech Koruna. The magazine suggested that Gross paid a significant part of this amount himself. When asked about it, Gross said it was a private matter.

By June 2008, Gross successfully sold his share for 150 million Czech Koruna. He had originally bought it for 21 million Czech Koruna. The police looked into this deal but found it to be a legal business transaction.

In 2008, he passed his bar exam and started his own law practice. Stanislav Gross had studied at Charles University in Prague and later received his law degree from the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň. This university was later investigated for possibly giving out law degrees too easily. Gross's name was mentioned during this investigation.

In early 2008, Stanislav Gross and his wife, Šárka Grossová, bought a luxury apartment in Miami, Florida, in the United States. They also purchased a house in Prague, Czech Republic. Questions about the purchase of their Prague apartment were a key reason for his resignation from politics.

Stanislav Gross passed away on April 16, 2015, at the age of 45. He suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a serious neurological disease.