Prague, Nov 20 (CTK) – Charles University (UK) and the University of Economics (VSE) have filed a criminal complaint with the Prague Municipal Court against Czech President Milos Zeman for not appointing three nominated professors, UK spokesman Vaclav Hajek told CTK Friday.
The universities argue that the law on universities does not give the president the right not to sign the appointing decree. The president´s role in the appointing process is only ceremonial, they say.
In reaction, Zeman´s spokesman Jiri Ovcacek said the president had serious reasons not to sign the three decrees.
“The president´s stance remains unchanged, that is he will not appoint the three professors for exceptionally serious reasons that we have presented several times,” Ovcacek told CTK.
The three academics whom Zeman refused to appoint joined the criminal complaint. The dispute between universities and Zeman began in the spring. Education Minister Katerina Valachova and her predecessor Marcel Chladek (both Social Democrats, CSSD) negotiated with Zeman about the issue, but no progress has been made.
In August, Valachova and Zeman agreed that the president and the rectors would meet in October, but the meeting was not held.
Valachova told CTK that it is unfortunate that the dispute is going on. She said she will have talks with Zeman on November 24.
Valachova said she will hand the decrees signed by Zeman alone. “The rest is being solved,” she wrote to CTK.
It ensues from Ovcacek´s statement that the rectors will not be at the negotiations at Prague Castle on November 24.
He said the meeting with representatives of universities “was not cancelled on the president´s initiative.”
UK Rector Tomas Zima would not comment on what accompanied the planning of the meeting, but the failure to hold it prompted the academics to file the complaint Friday.
“I am of the opinion that negotiations should continue until the very last moment. I said we will wait for the meeting before we file the complaint. But as time went by and it was not held, we filed it now,” Zima told CTK.
He said he did not want to file it during the Advent period in December and next week he will be on a business trip.
Zima said he does not believe that the situation could have been solved by other means.
The UK and VSE say Zeman ignored a binding direction of their academic councils and a government resolution on the issue.
In their complaint, they say Zeman has violated the autonomy and independence of the two universities and challenged the academic rights and university freedoms.
Zeman has insisted on his objections to the appointment of Ivan Ostadal and Jiri Fajt, from UK, and Jan Eichler, proposed by VSE.
He said previously he considers unacceptable that Fajt as National Gallery director wanted the Komercni banka bank to send a part of its donation as a contribution to his salary, that Eichler worked in the propaganda unit of the military under the communist regime, and that Ostadal allegedly had contacts with the communist secret police service before 1989.
UK pointed out earlier that Zeman has not even issued a negative stance on the naming of the three above professors because such an official negative statement would have to be counter-signed by the prime minister.
In 2013, Zeman refused to appoint Catholic literary historian Martin C. Putna professor due to his participation in the Prague Pride march of sexual minorities. Some observers noted that the homosexual Putna was a resolute critic of Zeman.
