PRAGUE - Vaclav Klaus will serve a second term as President of the Czech Republic after that country’s parliament voted to reelected him by a narrow margin. The deeply conservative Mr. Klaus has previously suggested that the European Union be replaced by a less powerful Organization of European States, and is known for his opposition to euthanasia and same-sex unions as well as voicing doubts as to the veracity of global warming.
“If you do not want to respect our thousands of year old civilization, its Christian values and emphasis on the traditional family and respect for each individual life, do not vote for me,” Mr. Klaus told the Czech legislators.
Mr. Klaus had previously been the architect of the Czech Republic’s economic reforms during his tenure as prime minister from 1992 to 1997. In 1998 he became the speaker of the lower house of the Czech parliament before succeeding the renowned anti-communist playwright Vaclav Havel as President of the Czech Republic in 2003.