Václav Havel

As president, Havel oversaw the establishment of a new Czechoslovak government that began instituting democratic freedoms and a free-market economy. However, in 1991 his base of support, Civic Forum, split over the speed of the transition from socialism to capitalism. A center-right coalition, the Civic Democratic Party, emerged from the split, along with a number of center-left parties. Havel aligned himself with none of the parties. In 1992 Václav Klaus, the head of the Civic Democrats, became prime minister of the Czech Republic (one of the constituent republics of Czechoslovakia along with Slovakia). An economist, Klaus advocated a rapid process of economic privatization. His policies threatened mass unemployment in Slovakia—which had inherited an inefficient, defense-oriented industrial base from its days under the Communists—and Slovak leaders began raising separatist demands. Disagreements between the republics intensified, and in July Slovakia declared its sovereignty. Faced with the imminent dissolution of the country, Havel resigned as president.

In January 1993 Czechoslovakia was replaced by the independent nations of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Havel was elected president of the Czech Republic. In his first five-year term, Havel presided over a stable country with a sluggish economy. He promoted the Czech Republic’s inclusion in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which it joined in 1999, and the European Union (EU). Havel maintained a busy schedule despite a long history of respiratory problems that dated to his years of imprisonment. In 1996 Havel underwent surgery for lung cancer.

In January 1998 Havel won election to a second term as president after a close vote in parliament. Havel’s term expired in February 2003; he was prohibited by the constitution from seeking a third term. Havel was succeeded by Václav Klaus.