Václav Klaus
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{{Infobox President
| name = Václav Klaus
| image = Vaclav Klaus headshot.jpg
| order = [[President of the Czech Republic]]<!-- Please do not add his order, it is against WP:MOS, unused and clutter -->
| primeminister = [[Mirek Topolánek]]
| term_start = [[07 March]] [[2003]]
| predecessor = [[Václav Havel]]
| office2 = Chairman of the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic]]<!-- Please do not add his order, it is against WP:MOS, unused and clutter -->
| primeminister2 = [[Miloš Zeman]]
| term_start2 = [[17 July]] [[1998]]
| term_end2 = [[20 June]] [[2002]]
| predecessor2 = [[Miloš Zeman]]
| successor2 = [[Lubomír Zaorálek]]
| office3 = [[Prime Minister of the Czech Republic]]<!-- Please do not add his order, it is against WP:MOS, unused and clutter -->
| president3 = [[Václav Havel]]
| term_start3 = [[1 January]] [[1993]]
| term_end3 = [[17 December]] [[1997]]
| predecessor3 = office created
| successor3 = [[Josef Tošovský]]
| office4 = Prime Minister of the Czech Republic within the [[Czech and Slovak Federal Republic|Federation]]
| president4 = [[Václav Havel]]
| term_start4 = [[2 July]] [[1992]]
| term_end4 = [[31 December]] [[1992]]
| predecessor4 = [[Petr Pithart]]
| successor4 = office abolished
| office5 = Minister of Finance of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
| primeminister5 = [[Marián Čalfa]]
| term_start5 = [[10 December]] [[1989]]
| term_end5 = [[2 July]] [[1992]]
| predecessor5 = [[Jan Stejskal (politician)|Jan Stejskal]]
| successor5 = [[Jan Klak]] <small style=white-space:nowrap>(Federal Minister of Finance)</small><br> [[Ivan Kočárník]] <small style=white-space:nowrap>(Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic)</small>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1941|06|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Prague]], [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia|Bohemia and Moravia]]
| party = [[Civic Democratic Party|ODS]]
| spouse = [[Livia Klausová]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Economics, Prague]]
| occupation = Economist
| website = [http://www.klaus.cz www.klaus.cz]
}}
'''Václav Klaus''' ({{pronounced|ˈvaːtslaf ˈklaʊ̯s}}; born [[19 June]] [[1941]]) is the second [[President of the Czech Republic|President]] of the [[Czech Republic]] and a former [[Prime Minister of the Czech Republic]] (1992–1997). He is co-founder of the [[Civic Democratic Party]], one of the Czech Republic's major political parties.<ref name="Klaus CV">{{cite web |url=http://www.hrad.cz/cms/en/prezident_cr/klaus.shtml |title=Curriculum Vitae of Vaclav Klaus |accessdate=2008-07-10 |date=2003-03-05 |publisher=Office of the President of the Republic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fee.org/publications/notes/notes/TheThreats.asp |title=The Threats to Liberty in the 21st century |accessdate=2008-02-11 |last=Klaus |first=Václav |date=2006-05-06 |publisher=[[Foundation for Economic Education]]}}</ref>
== Biography ==
Klaus grew up in the Vinohrady neighborhood of Prague and graduated from the [[University of Economics, Prague]] in 1963; he also spent some time at universities in [[Italy]] (1966) and [[Cornell University]] in the [[United States]] (1969).
During the [[Prague Spring]] he published articles on economics in the pro-reform, non-communist magazine ''Tvář'' (The Face) and the leading weekly ''[[Literární noviny]]''. He then pursued a [[postgraduate]] academic career at the (state) Institute of Economics of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, which he left (by his account, being forced out for political reasons) in 1970. From 1971 to 1986, he held various positions at the Czechoslovak State Bank. In 1987 Klaus joined the reform-minded Prognostics Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
In 1995, as Prime Minister, he applied for and was eventually awarded a degree of Professor of Finance from his alma mater, so he is sometimes addressed "Mr. Professor" by his sympathisers. As the president, Klaus occasionally taught a seminar course in economics at the [[University of Economics, Prague]].
Since 1990, Václav Klaus has received nearly 50 [[honorary degree]]s and published over 20 books on various social, political, and economics subjects which are overwhelmingly collections of articles and speeches; the most recent of these are five yearbooks of his presidential activities. Klaus is a member of the [[Mont Pelerin Society]]. He has published articles in the free market-oriented ''[[Cato Journal]]''. On May 28, 2008, Klaus is scheduled to give the keynote address at an annual dinner hosted by the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]] (CEI), a free market advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Klaus is also CEI's 2008 [[Julian L. Simon]] Memorial Award recipient.
===Klaus the economist===
His vocal enthusiasm for the [[free market]] economy and as exemplified by [[Friedrich Hayek]] and [[Milton Friedman]] and practised by [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[Ronald Reagan]], together with his stated belief in [[Adam Smith]]'s "[[Invisible Hand]]", soon became well-known and Klaus was the principal shaper of the Czechoslovak economic transformation. His critics later on pointed out that during his premiership he had neglected the importance of law (in particular battling corruption), largely ignored the enforcement of [[property]] rights on the stock market, and that his pet project, the [[voucher privatization]], was poorly executed and didn't bring the economy responsible owners it needed. They claim that his record in government does not justify the picture of Klaus as a major free-market figure. His avowed aim of creating a nation which participated in the capitalist system as shareholders signally failed, with most of the privatisations of his tenure ending up in relatively few, and often opaque, hands.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
===Early political career===
Václav Klaus entered politics soon after the [[Velvet Revolution]] in 1989 . As a member (and from October 1990, [[chairman]]) of [[Civic Forum]] he became the federal Minister of Finance, a position he held until July 1992. In April 1991 Klaus co-founded the [[Civic Democratic Party]] (''Občanská demokratická strana'', ODS), the strongest and most economically [[right-wing]] of the post-Civic Forum splinter parties. He remained its chairman until December 2002 when he resigned after a string of election defeats. He is now its honorary chairman.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}
== Premiership ==
In June [[1992]], ODS won the elections in the Czech Republic with a reform program; but the winner in [[Slovakia]] was [[Vladimír Mečiar]]'s nationalistic [[Movement for a Democratic Slovakia]]. It soon became apparent that Slovak demands for increased [[sovereignty]] were incompatible with the limited "viable federation" supported by the Czechs; both leaders assumed the premiership in their respective polities and quickly agreed, without a referendum, on a smooth division of [[Czechoslovakia]] and its assets under a caretaker federal government, later dubbed [[Velvet Divorce]].
===Scandals===
Klaus continued as Prime Minister after [[Czech legislative election, 1996|the 1996 election]], but the ODS's win was much narrower and his government was plagued by instability, serious economic problems, and accusations of corruption. He was forced to resign<ref>{{cite news |first=Jan |last=Richter |title=Václav Klaus: the experienced and predictable |url=http://www.radio.cz/en/article/100524 |work= |publisher=[[Radio Prague]] |date=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> in November 1997 after a government crisis caused by an ODS funding scandal, an event later called "Sarajevo Assassination" (''sarajevský atentát'') by his sympathisers, in analogy with the [[assassination in Sarajevo]] that has started the [[First World War]], because the calls for him to resign occurred during his visit of [[Sarajevo]] at that time. He has consistently refused to accept responsibility for or discuss any of the corruption scandals which arose within his party and under his government.<ref name=respekt>{{cite news |first=Marek |last=Švehla |coauthors=Jaroslav Spurný |title=Stále nevyřízený atentát |url=http://www.respekt.cz/clanek.php?fIDCLANKU=2333&fIDROCNIKU=2007 |work=Časopis Respekt |publisher=Respekt Publishing a.s. |issn=1801-1446 |date=2007-11-23 |accessdate=2008-07-09 |language=[[Czech language|Czech]]}}</ref>
Czech President Václav Havel publicly referred to Klaus' economic policies as "gangster capitalism" and blamed the prime minister for perceived corruption surrounding his policy of voucher privatization and his côterie of close allies such as the dentist, politician, and entrepreneur [[Miroslav Macek]] or [[StB]] honcho Václav Junek{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. In his 5 years as President, Klaus has only occasionally referred to corruption. {{Fact|date=February 2008}}.
== Defeats ==
Klaus, stunned for a moment by his downfall, was encouraged by his nearest and quickly rallied forces to fight. At the mid-December IX. congress, he was confirmed as chairman by 227 votes of 312 delegates; the defeated faction left ODS and in early [[1998]] established a new party named [[Freedom Union (Czech Republic)|Freedom Union]] (''Unie svobody'', US) with president [[Václav Havel]]'s unconcealed sympathies.
ODS lost [[Czech legislative election, 1998|the June premature election]] to [[Czech Social Democratic Party]] (ČSSD). Still, the results (unlike any following) would have allowed both of them to achieve a safe majority with smaller center parties. However US chairman [[Jan Ruml]] refused to support ČSSD on principle, and there was too much distrust of "traitors" in ODS. To general surprise, Klaus struck an "opposition agreement" (''opoziční smlouva'') with ČSSD chairman [[Miloš Zeman]], his traditional foe though both also had much mutual respect: ODS tolerated Zeman's [[minority government]] in exchange for various concessions and posts, including the Speaker of [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic]] for Klaus, with hints of possible prolongation after turnaround in future election.<ref>{{cite journal |year=1998 |title=Constitution Watch: A country-by-country update on constitutional politics in Eastern Europe and the ex-USSR |journal=East European Constitutional Review |volume=7 |issue=3 |url=http://www.law.nyu.edu/eecr/vol7num3/constitutionwatch/czech.html |accessdate=2008-07-09 |publisher=[[New York University School of Law]] and [[Central European University]]}}</ref>
ODS went to the [[Czech legislative election, 2002|elections of June 2002]] relying on Klaus's image: pre-recorded mass phone calls (used for the first time in Czech campaigns and rather criticised) about "[[mobilisation]]" against left-wing danger or his huge [[billboard (advertising)|billboard]] at the former site of [[Stalin's Monument (Prague)|Stalin's Monument]]. But in a TV debate as well as at the polls he was again defeated by ČSSD's new leader [[Vladimír Špidla]], who had explicitly refused the opposition agreement, which had become to be perceived as embodiment of stagnation, corruption and attempts to [[duopoly|duopolise]] power despite the [[Constitution of the Czech Republic|constitutional]] [[proportional representation]]. Špidla created a left-center coalition (which indeed led to political death of the hapless US). After long hesitation, and having suffered a further substantial loss in the October [[Czech Senate election, 2002|Senate elections]], Klaus bowed to mounting pressure and didn't run for re-election at the December congress (which unanimously declared him honorary chairman). Against his wishes he was succeeded by [[Mirek Topolánek]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Eva |last=Petržílková |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Zprávy: Nástupcem Václava Klause v čele ODS se stal nečekaně Mirek Topolánek |url=http://www.radio.cz/cz/zpravy/35558#2 |publisher=[[Radio Prague]] |date=2002-12-15 |accessdate=2008-07-09 |language=[[Czech language|Czech]]}}</ref>
==Presidency==
[[Image:Flag of the president of the Czech Republic.svg|thumb|right|Standard of the President of the Czech Republic]]
{{details |President of the Czech Republic #Electoral procedure| election procedure and strategies}}
Having lost two general elections in a row, Klaus' hold on the ODS appeared to become weaker, and he announced his intention of stepping down from the leadership and run for President succeeding [[Václav Havel]], who had been one of his greatest political opponents since the division of Czechoslovakia. This was taken by many to be a graceful way of retiring. However the governing coalition, buffeted especially by feuds within ČSSD, was unable to agree on a common candidate to oppose him.
Klaus was elected [[President of the Czech Republic]] by secret ballot in a joint session of both chambers of parliament on [[February 28]], [[2003]] after two failed elections earlier in the month, in the third round of the election (both chambers vote on two top candidates jointly). He won with a narrow majority of 142 votes out of 281, with support across every parliament club ([[Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia]] being no exception). In 2008 the Communist chairman said that on the eve of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] and Czech accession to the [[European Union]], a President skeptical to both was a good balance to the government's—and his last counter-candidate's—"euro-fanaticism".<ref>{{cite news |first=Petr |last=Holub |title=Filip: Dvakrát dáme hlasy Švejnarovi, potřetí nikomu |url=http://aktualne.centrum.cz/clanek.phtml?id=519971 |publisher=centrum holdings |date=2008-01-31 |accessdate=2008-07-09 |language=[[Czech language|Czech]]}}</ref>
[[Image:Vaclav-Klaus-01.jpg|thumb|Václav Klaus in 2005]]
===Relationship with communists===
Unlike Havel, Klaus modified his previously strident rhetoric following his election with the support of communist votes to say that considers himself to be a "non-communist" but not an [[anti-communism|anti-communist]], a label he claims to reject as a cheap and superficial posturing although he has warned against the traditional 'red scare' during two election campaigns against ČSSD. By some this is viewed as delivering part of his secret deal to secure the presidency.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} As a president "representing the whole nation," he invited representatives of all parties including the communists, who were not allowed to enter the Prague Castle throughout the 13 years of Havel's presidency. Nevertheless, in 2005 and 2006 Klaus repeatedly stated that he would refuse to appoint a cabinet which depended on communist support either directly or indirectly.
Although surrounded by a loyal following, Klaus also has vocal opponents. As mentioned earlier, one of the contested issues is his relation to [[communism]], both in the past and as a strong modern-day politician: Klaus has published articles praising "the grey zone" of the majority of ordinary people who passively endured the regime, while downplaying the importance of the small minority of [[dissident]]s like Havel because of their "haughtiness." This is held by some to part of his wish to denigrate parts of Czech history which he cannot claim a part of. A similar approach can be seen in his changing views of Masaryk.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
Although Klaus used to criticize Havel for having used his power to [[veto]] the laws and promised restrain, he does so rather more frequently than him, usually to avoid introduction of new regulations he considers unnecessary or illiberal.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeffrey |last=White |title=Hard to get a law by Václav Klaus |url=http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2006/03/08/hard-to-get-a-law-by-vaclav-klaus.php |work=The Prague Post |date=2006-03-08 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> Among the vetoed bills was also the [[registered partnership]] act; Klaus believed that special laws for married couples were designed with a narrow goal that might not apply to [[gay]]s, making the law unjustified.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In his public statement vetoing the bill he described it as being "dangerous" and representing militant "homosexualism." His veto of was overturned by the Parliament in March 2006, the Czech Republic becoming the first post-communist country to grant legal recognition to same-sex partnerships. He also vetoed the Anti-Discrimination Law passed by parliament in 2008, saying it's a dangerous threat to personal freedoms.
===Foreign policy===
Klaus' [[euroscepticism]] - perhaps being joined by his skepticism of the existence of [[anthropogenic]] climate change - is a defining policy position of his presidency, and he includes criticisms of the "democratic deficit" and "centralization" of EU in many public statements.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Some European hosts viewed his statements as insulting and beyond proper diplomatic behavior - Latvia and Finland being two examples of this{{Fact|date=June 2007}}. He claimed that accession to the Union represented a significant reduction of Czech sovereignty and he chose not to give any recommendation before the 2003 accession referendum (77% voted yes).
Klaus' Eurosceptic activism has involved writing many articles and giving many speeches against any sharing of sovereignty with the EU. He assisted in the Czech publication of a work by the Irish Eurosceptic [[Anthony Coughlan]] of [[left-wing politics|left alignments]] and a record of campaigning against EU treaties. In 2005 Klaus called for the EU to be "scrapped" and replaced by a free-trade area to be called the "Organisation of European States." Klaus is occasionally chastised by journalists who want him to change his positions toward the EU, arguing that it should be more than a free trade zone. Although he sometimes concedes to this, his skepticism about the internal mechanisms of the EU is often very outspoken. For example, in 2005 he remarked to a group of visiting U.S. politicians that the EU was a "failed and bankrupt entity."
He has reversed Havel's policy of avoiding many countries like [[China]]. His first major visit was to [[Russia]] and in 2006 he hosted [[Vladimir Putin]] in a style which was described by some pundits as "borderline-sycophancy" including using the [[Russian language]] to converse with him. {{Fact|date=February 2008}} Klaus received the 2007 Pushkin Medal for the promotion of Russian culture from Putin due to his use of Russian with Putin and with Russian diplomats.<ref>{{cite news |author=ČTK |title=Czech president receives Russian Pushkin Medal |url=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=288494 |publisher=Neris s.r.o. |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Daniela |last=Lazarová |title=News: President Klaus receives Pushkin Medal |url=http://www.radio.cz/en/news/99058#3 |publisher=[[Radio Prague]] |date=2007-12-27 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref>
Klaus speaks several languages and is not ashamed of showing his skills - even insisting that he could demand language qualifications from ministerial nominees. Klaus has tried to avoid conflicts with Russia and maintain friendly relationships with the former ally. He disagrees with some of the sharp criticisms of the recent developments in Russia, claiming that the situation is better than expected from a country with minimal democratic traditions{{Fact|date=February 2008}} and the necessity of a strong leader in Russia to organize political parties.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Burnett |title=10 Questions For Vaclav Klaus |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1037613,00.html |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |publisher=Time Inc. |date=2005-03-13 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref>
Václav Klaus has on many occasions voiced his disagreement with [[Kosovo declaration of independence]]. During his visit to Bratislava in [[March 2008]], Václav Klaus categorically rejected the argument that [[Kosovo]] was a special case and said that it set a precedent. He said that by recognizing Kosovo, those countries that did so opened a [[Pandora's box]] in [[Europe]] that could have disastrous consequences, comparing Kosovo's independence to the [[1938]] [[Munich treaty]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kosovo threatens to cause split in Czech government |url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=03&dd=25&nav_id=48785 |publisher=B92 |date=2008-03-25 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Zoltán |last=Dujisin |title=EUROPE: To Recognise Kosovo Or Not |url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41593 |publisher=[[Inter Press Service]] |date=2008-03-14 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref>
===Re-election===
{{main|Czech presidential election, 2008}}
The Czech Presidential election of 2008 differed from past ones in that the voting was [[recorded vote|on the record]], rather than by [[secret ballot]]. This was a precondition demanded by most of the Czech political parties, but long opposed by Klaus' [[Civic Democratic Party]] (ODS).<ref name=Sight>{{cite news |first=Geoff |last=Larcom |title=Prague's politics a sight to see |url=http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/02/pragues_politics_a_sight_to_se.html |work=[[Ann Arbor News]] |date=2008-02-14 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref>
Klaus' main opponent was the [[pro-European]], [[University of Michigan]] [[economics]] [[professor]] and [[naturalized]] [[United States]] [[citizen]] [[Jan Švejnar]].<ref name=MI>{{cite news |first=Karel |last=Janicek |title=U-M prof loses bid for president of Czech Republic |url=http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/02/um_prof_loses_bid_for_presiden.html |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=2008-02-15 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> He was nominated by [[Green Party (Czech Republic)|Green Party]], gaining the support of the leading opposition [[Czech Social Democratic Party]], a smaller part of [[KDU-ČSL]] and most independent Senators. The first ballot on Februrary 8–9, 2008 resulted in no winner after three rounds. Klaus led in those rounds, but barely failed to achieve the requisite majority from the assembly as a whole. Švejnar won the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic|lower chamber of the legislature]], while Klaus had majority in the [[Senate of the Czech Republic|Senate]].<ref name=Sight/>
The second ballot on Friday [[15 February]] [[2008]] brought with it a new candidate — [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]] [[Jana Bobošíková]], nominated by the [[Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia]]. However, she withdrew her candidacy before the election itself, because she didn't achieve any wider support.<ref name=MI/> The first and second rounds of this new ballot ended with similar results to the previous weekend. However, Klaus consistently had 141 votes from the whole legislature throughout all three rounds. Thus in the third round, where the only goal is to achieve a majority of all legislators present from both houses, Klaus barely won. Švejnar received 111 votes, the Communists voting for neither.<ref>{{cite news |title=Klaus re-elected Czech president |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/16/content_7612647.htm |publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency]] |date=2008-02-15 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref>
Although the Presidency is [[indirect election|not directly elected]] by the [[citizenry]] of the Czech Republic, several [[public opinion poll]]s taken in the run-up to the final ballot suggested a level of [[ambiguity]] among the [[Czechs]]. Opinion seemed to sway from narrowly supporting Švejnar in January,<ref>{{cite news |author=ČTK |title=Czechs slightly prefer Svejnar to Klaus - poll |url=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=290639 |publisher=Neris s.r.o. |date=2008-01-11 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> to a dead heat,<ref>{{cite news |author=ČTK |title=Czechs divided on Klaus, Svejnar as future president - CVVM poll |url=http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=295382 |publisher=Neris s.r.o. |date=2008-02-06 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> and finally to narrowly supporting the incumbent a day before the first ballot was held.<ref name=MI/>
Klaus' re-election was partially the result of three Social Democrats breaking with their party, tipping the election towards Klaus. Supporters of both candidates accused the other side of using threats and significant financial inducements to influence the outcome. These allegations remain unproven.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}
Klaus' first term as President concluded on Friday [[7 March]] [[2008]]; he took oath for the second term on the same day so as not to create a president-less [[interregnum]] since the Parliament could not otherwise come to a joint session before the following Tuesday. Thus he lost the day of overlap and his second term will end on [[6 March]] [[2013]].
==Dispute of global warming==
Klaus is a vocal critic of the notion that any [[global warming]] is man-made (anthropogenic). "Global warming is a false myth and every serious person and scientist says so."<ref name=Barillas20070310>{{cite news |first=Martin |last=Barillas |title=Czech president: Environmentalism is a religion |url=http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=128&id=8342 |work=Spero News |date=2007-03-10 |accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref> He has also criticized the IPCC climate panel as a group of politicized scientists with one-sided opinions and one-sided assignments. He has said that other top-level politicians do not expose their doubts about global warming because "a whip of political correctness strangles their voices."<ref> [http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1261666.php Czech president derogates UN global-warming panel], m&c News, [[2007-02-09]].</ref>
In addition he says "Environmentalism should belong in the social sciences" along with other "isms" such as communism, feminism, and liberalism. President Klaus said that "environmentalism is a religion" and, in an answer to the questions of the U.S. Congressmen, a "modern counterpart of communism" that seeks to change peoples' habits and economic systems.<ref name=Barillas20070310 />
In an article for ''[[Financial Times]]'', Klaus called ambitious environmentalism "the biggest threat to [[freedom (political)|freedom]], [[democracy]], the [[market economy]] and [[prosperity]]", hinted that parts of the present political and scientific debate on the environment are suppressing freedom and [[democracy]], and asked for readers opposing the term "[[scientific consensus]]", saying that "it is always achieved only by a loud minority, never by a silent majority".<ref> [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9deb730a-19ca-11dc-99c5-000b5df10621.html Freedom, not climate, is at risk] by Vaclav Klaus, [[2007-06-13]]</ref> He had a online Q&A session following the article.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/klaus Global warming: truth or propaganda?]</ref> He wrote that "Environmentalism, not preservation of nature (and of environment), is a leftist ideology.... Environmentalism is indeed a vehicle for bringing us socialist government at the global level. Again, my life in communism makes me oversensitive in this respect." He reiterated these statements at a showing of [[Martin Durkin (television director)|Martin Durkin]]'s ''[[The Great Global Warming Swindle]]'' organised by his think tank CEP in [[June 2007]], becoming the first (and only) head of state to endorse the film.<ref>[http://zpravy.idnes.cz/domaci.asp?c=A070629_084140_domaci_mr Klaus uvedl film o podvodu s globálním oteplováním], ''[[Mladá fronta DNES]]'' 29 June 2007 {{cs icon}}</ref>
In an interview with BBC World he called the interviewer "absolutely arrogant" for claiming that a scientific consensus embracing the bulk of the world had been reached on climate change and said that he was "absolutely certain" that people would look back in 30 years and thank him.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}
At a high-level event on climate change at the United Nations Klaus spoke of his disbelief in global warming, calling for a second [[IPCC]] to be set up to produce competing reports, and for countries to be left alone to set their priorities and prepare their own plans for the problem.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/webcast/climatechange/highlevel/2007/pdfs/czechrepublic-eng.pdf|author=Václav Klaus|title=Notes for the speech of the President of the Czech Republic at the UN Climate Change Conference|date=[[24 September]] [[2007]]|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>
== Personal life ==
Václav Klaus is married to [[Livia Klausová]], an economist born in [[Slovakia]]. They have two sons, Václav (a private secondary school headmaster) and Jan (economist), and five grandchildren.<ref name="Klaus CV" />
In youth, Klaus used to play [[basketball]] and minor-league [[volleyball]]; he still is an avid [[tennis]] player and [[ski]]er.<ref name="Klaus CV" />
==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons|Václav Klaus}}
{{Wikiquote|Václav Klaus}}
* [http://klaus.cz/klaus2/asp/default.asp?lang=EN Official personal pages] – English section
* [http://www.hrad.cz/cms/en/prezident_cr/klaus.shtml Biography] and [http://www.hrad.cz/cms/en/prezident_cr/klaus_projevy.shtml selected speeches] at the President's office
* [[Luboš Motl]]: [http://motls.blogspot.com/2007/02/vclav-klaus-about-ipcc-panel.html Klaus in an interview on Global Warming] with ''[[Hospodářské noviny]]'', a Czech economics daily; February 2007
* [http://www.cato.org/events/3598event.html Facing a Challenge of the Current Era: Environmentalism], a [[Cato Institute]] policy forum featuring Václav Klaus
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{{s-bef| before= [[Petr Pithart]] <small>(within [[Czechoslovakia]])</small> }}
{{s-ttl| title=[[Prime Minister of the Czech Republic]] | years=[[1992]] – [[1997]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Josef Tošovský]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Miloš Zeman]]}}
{{s-ttl| title=Speaker of the <span class=nowraplinks>[[Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic]]</span> | years=[[1998]] – [[2002]] }}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lubomír Zaorálek]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Václav Havel]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[President of the Czech Republic]] | years=[[2003]] – present }}
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{{CZ-Chamber-Speakers}}
{{Heads of state of the European Union Member states}}
{{ODS-chairman}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klaus, Vaclav}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Current national leaders]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Civic Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Classical liberals]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Euroscepticism]]
[[Category:Czech economists]]
[[Category:Global warming skeptics]]
[[Category:Macroeconomists]]
[[Category:Monetarists]]
[[Category:Mont Pelerin Society members]]
[[Category:Cornell University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Prague]]
[[ca:Václav Klaus]]
[[cs:Václav Klaus]]
[[da:Václav Klaus]]
[[de:Václav Klaus]]
[[dsb:Václav Klaus]]
[[et:Václav Klaus]]
[[el:Βάτσλαβ Κλάους]]
[[es:Václav Klaus]]
[[eo:Václav Klaus]]
[[fr:Václav Klaus]]
[[gd:Václav Klaus]]
[[gl:Václav Klaus]]
[[ko:바츨라프 클라우스]]
[[hsb:Václav Klaus]]
[[io:Václav Klaus]]
[[id:Václav Klaus]]
[[it:Václav Klaus]]
[[he:ואצלב קלאוס]]
[[la:Venceslaus Klaus]]
[[lb:Václav Klaus]]
[[hu:Václav Klaus]]
[[mr:वाक्लाव क्लाउस]]
[[nl:Václav Klaus]]
[[ja:ヴァーツラフ・クラウス]]
[[no:Václav Klaus]]
[[nn:Václav Klaus]]
[[oc:Václav Klaus]]
[[pl:Václav Klaus]]
[[pt:Václav Klaus]]
[[ro:Václav Klaus]]
[[ru:Клаус, Вацлав]]
[[simple:Václav Klaus]]
[[sk:Václav Klaus]]
[[sr:Вацлав Клаус]]
[[fi:Václav Klaus]]
[[sv:Václav Klaus]]
[[vi:Václav Klaus]]
[[zh:瓦茨拉夫·克劳斯]]