Milos Zeman Third President of the Czech Republic since 2013 Date of Birth: 28.09.1944 Country: Czech

Biography of Miloš Zeman

Miloš Zeman was born in 1944 in the city of Kolín, which was then part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He was raised by his stepmother, who worked as a teacher, after his parents divorced when he was two years old. Zeman remained in his hometown until completing his schooling. In 1965, he went to Prague to study at the University of Economics, where he graduated in 1969 and continued to teach.

During the Prague Spring in 1968, Zeman joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, but was expelled in 1970 due to disagreements with the party's policies. He lost his teaching position and spent over a decade working for the sports organization 'Sportprop'. In 1984, he started working for the company 'Agrodat', but lost his job in the late 1980s due to a political article he wrote.

In the summer of 1989, Zeman appeared on Czechoslovak Television with critical comments about the unsatisfactory state of the Czechoslovak economy. His speech sparked a scandal, and a few months later, during the Velvet Revolution, Zeman became one of the leaders of the Civic Forum. In the 1990s, he served as the chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party, leading the party to power. He remained in this position until 2001 when he was removed by party members, which was a significant shock for Zeman.

Zeman left the Social Democrats in 2007 due to disagreements with the party leadership. His first attempt to run for president was in 2003, but internal disagreements within the party worked against him, and he lost to Václav Klaus. However, his second attempt in 2013 was successful, and he won the presidency by defeating Karel Schwarzenberg in the second round of voting.

Zeman's presidency began in March 2013, and it is expected that he will have a closer cooperation with the European Union compared to his predecessor, Klaus. He is also known for his warm relations with Russia.

In terms of his personal life, Zeman married Blanka in the 1970s, but they divorced in 1978. In 1993, he married his assistant Ivana Bednářová. After winning the election, Zeman officially asked his daughter Kateřina Zemanová to be the First Lady, as his wife prefers to avoid media attention.