Castle: The presentation of state decorations will be postponed from October 28 to January 1
Updates: 10/25/2021 8:12 PM
Released: 25.10.2021, 19:47
Prague – Prague – The ceremony for the presentation of state decorations will take place on January 1 instead of the usual October 28. In a press release about it today with reference to the decision of hospitalized President Milos Zeman informed on the castle site of the office of the head of state.
“Today, the President of the Republic confirmed that the ceremony associated with the awarding of bestowed and awarded state awards can be ordered on January 1, 2022. He is looking forward to being able to give away and bestowed state awards in person,” the office said.
The president’s spokesman Jiří Ovčáček specified that on the national holiday on October 28, the Castle will publish a list of this year’s honorees. The ceremony will then be created for the New Year. Honors where people will also receive awards last year. A year ago, the ceremony did not take place due to the coronavirus epidemic, and even then Hrad published a list of honorees.
The head of the Office of the President of the Republic, Vratislav Mynář, said last week that the ceremony will be postponed from October 28 to a later date, unless Zeman decides otherwise. The director of the castle protocol, Vladimír Kruliš, told ČTK the day before that he was waiting for a decision by the president regarding the ceremony. In order to organize it, the decision would have to be made in a matter of days. The method of awarding the award depends on the decision of the President. For example, he can appoint someone to honor him in advance, he can also opt for a postponement. Decorations can also be sent by mail.
Every year, Zeman awards or lends about forty orders and medals. Last year there were 28 winners. This year, according to Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD), Zeman decided to award the Order of the White Lion to actress Jiřina Bohdalová. The first Czechoslovak cosmonaut Vladimír Remek is also to receive the highest state award. On Wednesday, after the government meeting, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), to whose MfD trust fund he belongs, said that he had signed about 30 presidential proposals for state awards.
Ambassador Jiří Baloun, the ambassador to Afghanistan, should receive the award for heroism. Zeman promised to praise him for his contribution to this year’s evacuation of Czech diplomats and Afghan collaborators from Kabul.
According to MfD, the Medal of Merit should be awarded to the founder of the cake factory, Marlenka Gevorg Avetisjan, and the psychiatrist Jan Cimický. According to the daily, Václav Krása, playwright and member of the ČTK council Pavel Foltán, musician Karel Vágner, lyricist Pavel Žák and winemaker Miloš Michlovský can expect the same award, and the late economist Michal Mejstřík should also receive it in memoriam.
Ovčáček previously announced that Zeman in memoriam would award the Medal of Heroism to Staff Ensign Michaela Tichá, who died on a foreign mission to Sinai after a helicopter crash. Another tragically deceased, founder and majority owner of the PPF financial group, Petr Kellner, will also be awarded. Zeman said in the spring that he would be awarded the Order of the White Lion by Kellner, but according to MfD he should receive a medal for merit.