CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech outgoing president and president-elect take part in wreath-laying ceremony

Record ID: 860205

  • Title: CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech outgoing president and president-elect take part in wreath-laying ceremony
  • Date: 7th March 2013
  • Summary: LANY, CZECH REPUBLIC (MARCH 7, 2013) (REUTERS) PEOPLE AT CEREMONY AT CEMETERY AT LANY VILLAGE HONOUR GUARDS CARRYING WREATH FOLLOWED BY CZECH OUTGOING PRESIDENT VACLAV KLAUS AND HIS WIFE LIVIA AND CZECH PRESIDENT-ELECT MILOS ZEMAN GUARDS WITH WREATH KLAUS AND HIS WIFE OBSERVING MINUTE OF SILENCE GUARDS SALUTING, WALKING AWAY KLAUS ARRANGING RIBBONS ON WREATH ON GRAVE OF FIRST CZECHOSLOVAKIA PRESIDENT TOMAS MASARYK CEREMONY AND PARTICIPANTS GUARDS SALUTING IN FRONT OF TWO WREATHS, WALKING AWAY TWO MEN AT CEREMONY HOLDING FLAGS CZECH PRESIDENT-ELECT MILOS ZEMAN ARRANGING RIBBONS ON WREATH, WALKING AWAY KLAUS, ZEMAN WITH WIVES AT CEREMONY KLAUS AND ZEMAN TALKING MASARYK GRAVE COVERED WITH WREATHS KLAUS, ZEMAN WITH WIVES AND OFFICIALS WALKING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Czech Republic
  • City:
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3LDLWQ22KT8OWI2WAKJI2121Q
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  • Story Text: On his last day in office on Thursday (March 7) the outgoing Czech President Vaclav Klaus, joined by his successor Milos Zeman, laid a wreath to the tomb of Tomas Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first president.
    The ceremony marked 163rd anniversary of Masaryk's birthday and took place at the village of Lany in Bohemia, west of Prague, where Masaryk often stayed and later buried.
    Klaus and Zeman were accompanied by spouses Livia and Ivana.
    After the ceremony the couples had lunch at Lany castle.
    Thursday marks Klaus's last day in office. On Friday (March 8) morning Zeman will be sworn in as president.
    The wreath-laying ceremony comes just days after the upper house of the Czech parliament impeached Klaus for treason, a dramatic but largely symbolic act that nevertheless showed just how deeply the eurosceptic leader angered his left-wing opponents. The decision by the Senate, dominated by the left, refers the president to the Constitutional Court which will rule on whether he violated the constitution by granting an amnesty to more than 6,000 prisoners serving short jail terms, as well as for other acts.
    The upper house voted 38 to 30 in a closed session to bring charges against the president.
    The biggest punishment he faces, if found guilty, is losing office, his presidential pension and the right to stand again in future. That is mild given Klaus's second and final consecutive term runs out on Thursday.
    The court is expected to hear the case in the coming weeks.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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