Livia Klausová to leave ambassadorial post due to new law

The Czech Ambassador to Slovakia Livia Klausová, 71, wife of former Czech president Vaclav Klaus, will have to abandon the ambassadorial post due to a new Czech law that introduces an upper age limit for public officials at 70. Public officials who have reached the age of 70 will have to terminate their contract by the end of this year. So, it is possible that Klausová, who is a native of Bratislava, will make a farewell to Slovakia on New Year's Eve. The Czech Republic has only two ambassadors older than 70 - Klausová and the Ambassador to Syria Eva Filipi. The Czech Foreign Affairs Ministry allegedly can't do much with the situation; it only can make sure that the solution is as painless as possible, said Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Operational and Consular Issues Lukas Kaucky. Klausová has been serving as ambassador in Slovakia since December 2013. Her appointment was prompted by President Milos Zeman for the support she lent him in the presidential race against Karel Schwarzenberg.