Václav Klaus: The Rise and Fall and Re-Emergence of a Charismatic Leader
Author(s)
Saxonberg, Steven
Abstract
Identifies Czech politician Václav Klaus as a charismatic leader who was able to rise from an obscure position as economic adviser to the chair of the dissident political party Civil Forum during 1989-90. In 1992, Czech president Václav Havel selected Klaus, then finance minister, to be prime minister because of the popularity of his economic rhetoric. Compared to his political rivals Havel and Valtr Komárek, Klaus was more charismatic because of his rhetorical skill, self-assuredness, and sense of mission – qualities that the Czech public generally embraced until financial scandals forced Klaus out of government leadership in 1997. The recognized success of democratization and transition to market economy in the Czech Republic, as well as Klaus’s perceived arrogance, were also factors in the decline of support for Klaus and his Civic Democratic Party (ODS) during 1996-97. Klaus and the ODS, however, maintained strong support from right-wing voters during 1997-99.
