Martin Kupka is a Czech politician, chairman of the ODS and a former minister of transport.
Martin Kupka is a Czech politician, chairman of the Civic Democratic Party. He was previously the party's deputy chairman and minister of transport.[2][3]
Education and career
He studied journalism and mass communication at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague.[1] According to a biography published by the government in 2010, he worked for nine years as a radio presenter and editor at Czech Radio, and for eight years he directed and organised classical music festivals in Karlovy Vary and in the Liberec Region.[1]
In 2001 and 2002 he was spokesman of Prague City Hall, and from 2003 spokesman of the Central Bohemian Region. From January to May 2009 he led the communication of the Ministry of Transport as spokesman and director of the public communication department.[1] From June 2009 he headed the media section of the ODS and handled part of the campaign before the elections to the Chamber of Deputies.[1] From 2007 he lectured at the faculty on communication with the media.[1] In 2006 to 2008 he was named Spokesperson of the Year in the category of public administration and non-governmental non-profit organisations, and in 2009 in the category of state bodies.[1] In 2010 the government published his biography under the heading government spokesman.[1]
Minister of transport and ODS chairman
Kupka served as minister of transport in an outgoing government.[3] Czech Television reported that he had earlier been mayor of Líbeznice. The local ODS organisation there accepted his nomination for party chairman, and he announced his candidacy on the social network X.[3]
At a congress in Prague, the Civic Democrats elected Kupka chairman of the party. After twelve years at the head of the party, he succeeded Petr Fiala. His rival candidate, Radim Ivan, deputy mayor of the Prague borough of Ostrava-Jih, was not successful. Tomáš Portlík, mayor of Prague 9, became first deputy chairman of the ODS.[2]