Martin Stropnický

Martin Stropnický (born 19 December 1956) is a Czech politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 2017 to June 2018, and was previously Minister of Defence from 2014 to 2017. From 2 January 1998 to 22 July 1998 he also served as Minister of Culture.[1] Before entering politics, he was an actor, songwriter, author and director.

Martin Stropnický
Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
In office 13 December 2017 – 27 June 2018
Prime Minister	Andrej Babiš
Preceded by	Pavel Bělobrádek
Succeeded by	Jan Hamáček
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 13 December 2017 – 27 June 2018
Prime Minister	Andrej Babiš
Preceded by	Lubomír Zaorálek
Succeeded by	Jan Hamáček (acting)
Minister of Defence
In office 29 January 2014 – 13 December 2017
Prime Minister	Bohuslav Sobotka
Preceded by	Vlastimil Picek
Succeeded by	Karla Šlechtová
Minister of Culture
In office 2 January 1998 – 22 July 1998
Prime Minister	Josef Tošovský
Preceded by	Jaromír Talíř
Succeeded by	Pavel Dostál
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 26 October 2013 – 1 October 2018
Personal details
Born	19 December 1956 Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)
Political party	ANO 2011
Domestic partner	Veronika Stropnická
Children	5
Alma mater	Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

Career

Stropnický graduated from the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU) in 1980, and worked in different theatres in Prague over the next decade including the Prague Municipal Theatre and the Vinohrady Theatre.[1]

In 1990 he began working at the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which became the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs two years later). He graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in 1991,[1] and subsequently served as the Czech Ambassador to Portugal (1993–94) and then Italy (1994-97).[1]

For a six-month period from January to July 1998, Stropnický was appointed Czech Minister of Culture in the caretaker government of Josef Tošovský.[1] He subsequently returned to the diplomatic service, serving as Czech Ambassador to the Vatican from 1999 to 2003, before returning to the Vinohrady Theatre as artistic director.[1]

He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2013 and served as Minister of Defence in Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet.[1] Following the 2017 legislative election, which saw Andrej Babiš taking over as Prime Minister, Stropnický became Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, assuming both positions on 13 December 2017.[1] However, Babiš' government lost a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies, and Stropnický was succeeded on 27 June 2018 by Jan Hamáček.

On 1 October 2018, Stropnický resigned from Parliament to return to the diplomatic service as Czech Ambassador to Israel.[2]

Personal life

Stropnický is married. In addition to Czech, he speaks English, French, and Italian, with a passive knowledge of Portuguese, Russian, and German.[1] Stropnický is the father of Green Party councillor Matěj Stropnický.

References

1. "Government of the Czech Republic profile". Government of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
2. televize, Česká. "Stropnický skončil ve sněmovně i ve vedení hnutí ANO. Od listopadu míří do Izraele". ČT24 - Nejdůvěryhodnější zpravodajský web v ČR - Česká televize (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-10-01.

External links

• Media related to Martin Stropnický at Wikimedia Commons