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1948 Czechoslovak presidential election

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1948 Czechoslovak presidential election

← 1946 14 June 1948 1953 →
 
Nominee Klement Gottwald
Party KSČ
Electoral vote 296
Percentage 100%

President before election

Edvard Beneš
ČSNS

Elected President

Klement Gottwald
KSČ

The 1948 Czechoslovak presidential election took place on 14 June 1948. Klement Gottwald was elected the first Communist president of Czechoslovakia.[1]

Background

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The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia finished first in the 1946 parliamentary election and formed a new government with party leader Klement Gottwald as Prime Minister. The party used its influence to take over the country in a 1948 coup d'etat.[2] The incumbent president Edvard Beneš was unable to resist and resigned on 7 June 1948.[3] In accordance with the 1920 Constitution, Gottwald took over most presidential duties pending the election of a permanent successor.

When negotiations began, two candidates were proposed–Gottwald and Culture Minister Zdeněk Nejedlý. It was eventually decided that Gottwald would be nominated in order to legitimate the Communist regime.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Dělnický prezident Klement Gottwald". www.moderni-dejiny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  2. ^ "1948 - Volba prezidenta 2008 (Český rozhlas)". www.rozhlas.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Výročí dne – 7. června 1948: Prezident Edvard Beneš abdikoval". zivotopisyonline.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Deset mužů z Hradu: Klement Gottwald - dělnický faraón, který se utápěl v alkoholu". Reflex.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 4 February 2018.