Czech Republic

Czech Republic, 1993 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed

In November 1989, Czechoslovakia again became a liberal democracy through the Velvet Revolution. On 31 December 1992, the country peacefully split into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, the European Union in 2004, and the Schengen Area in 2007. In January 2023, retired general Petr Pavel won the presidential election, succeeding Zeman.

Seat of power: Prague

Rulers

Václav Havel

President of the Czech Republic, 1993–2003

When the Czech Republic was created, he stood for election as its first president on 26 January 1993, and won. Although he was nominally the new country's chief executive, the framers of the Constitution of the Czech Republic intended to vest most of the real power in the prime minister. Owing to his prestige, he still commanded great moral authority, and the presidency acquired a greater role than the framers intended.

Portrait of Václav Havel: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, file

Václav Klaus

President of the Czech Republic, 2003–2013

He was elected President of the Czech Republic in February 2003. He was re-elected in 2008 for a second five-year term. His presidency was marked by many controversies over his strong opinions on issues ranging from global warming denial to Euroscepticism, and a wide-ranging amnesty declared in his last months of office, triggering his indictment by the Czech Senate on charges of high treason.

Portrait of Václav Klaus: Jindřich Nosek (NoJin), CC BY 4.0, file

Miloš Zeman

President of the Czech Republic, 2013–2023

In 2013, Zeman was elected president of the Czech Republic, becoming the first directly elected president in the nation's history; his predecessors were elected by the Parliament. In 2018, he was re-elected for a second term. His presidency was marked by deepening polarization and political discontent.

Portrait of Miloš Zeman: Haim Zach, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Petr Pavel

President of the Czech Republic, 2023 to today

Pavel was inaugurated on 9 March 2023, succeeding Miloš Zeman. In office, Pavel appointed several justices to the Constitutional Court and has been actively traveling abroad.

Portrait of Petr Pavel: Jana Jabůrková, Jiří Turek (J3T), CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Culture

Both countries went through economic reforms and privatizations, with the intention of creating a market economy.
From 1991, first as part of Czechoslovakia and since 1993 in its own right, the Czech Republic has been a member of the Visegrád Group, and from 1995 of the OECD.
Alfons Mucha became the main representative of Art Nouveau. He is known for his Art Nouveau posters and a cycle of 20 large canvases named the Slav Epic, which depicts the history of Czechs and other Slavs.
The Czech Republic is also known for its individually made, mouth-blown, and decorated Bohemian glass. The Czech ice hockey team won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Picture

Prague Castle is a castle complex in Prague that serves as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic.

Image: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.