Czech the News – Los Angeles Consulate General of the Czech Republic
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Czech The News – Los Angeles Consulate General of the Czech Republic September, 2013 VOL. #11 Czech Parliamentary Elections To Be Held This October President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman gave his approving assent to dissolve the Parliament on August 28th, and announced new parliamentary elections for the 25th and 26th of October, 2013. After a resignation of the Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas in June, the government led by Jiří Rusnok had lost a vote of confidence on August 7, 2013. After an agreement of the Czech-political parties, the Parliament then voted yes to a motion to dissolve itself on August 20th, resulting in the new election in October. Voters living abroad will again have the right to vote at Czech Embassies and Consulates General worldwide, including Consulate General in Los Angeles. For citizens of the Czech Republic with long-term or permanent residence abroad, the law allows registration into a special electoral registry administered by Embassies and Consulates General, based on their written request which must be submitted no later than 40 days before the elections date. Therefore, those eligible voters wishing to vote must submit their request to the Consulate General in LA no later than September 15, 2013. INDEX Introduction by the Consul General....................1,3 Czech Parliamentary Elections To Be Held This October...................................................................1,2 Renowned Czech pianist Emil Viklický Returns to Los Angeles……………...…………………………2 Jiří Menzel, One of the Most Influential Czech Dear Friends in Southland Film Directors of All Time in LA………………....4 Launch of the 2013 Mutual Inspirations Festival I hope you all had a wonderful summer. Some of Devoted to Václav Havel………….……………….5 you probably visited the Czech Republic as my Information the new citizenship law of the Czech family and I did in August and enjoyed the beauty Republic……………………………………………6 of our motherland. As you have read or heard, the The Czech Republic inaugurated its Honorary Czech Parliament dissolved itself last month and Consulate in Seattle, State of Washington….……7 there will be new parliamentary elections held this Exhibition of Photographs “Prague 1968” at the October. Czech Consulate……………………….…………..7 Cont´d on page 3 To subscribe for our newsletter and upcoming cultural events, please contact us at: [email protected] Page 1 Cont´d from page 1 Internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Emil Viklický, who has won countless awards and led numerous ensembles, Voting as a permanent/long-term resident abroad will return to California this fall. Local jazz enthusiasts Voters who wish to be included in the special electoral will have an opportunity to hear him at two concerts in registry of the Consulate, must submit their request in October 2013. His worldwide appearances have garnered writing and enclose a valid identification document critical and popular acclaim from the US to Japan and (passport, Czech Republic ID card, US driver’s license), a Israel. proof of citizenship of the Czech Republic (Czech Republic ID card, Czech Republic passport, Certificate of Jazz legend Viklický will perform with skilled American Czech Republic citizenship) and a proof of permanent residence (such as US driver’s license, energy bills) in the saxophonist Benny Golbin within the Petrof Concert Series consular jurisdiction of the Consulate General in Los on October 11, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. at the residence of Angeles. Consul General Mr. Michal Sedláček. There is no prescribed form of application, however, a Emil Viklický will also participate on the much anticipated sample form can be downloaded from the website of jazz music festival “EUropean Jazz at UCLA.” The Consulate General in Los Angeles. As a reminder, festival will be held from October 10 until 13, 2013 at the registering into the special voter’s registry at the Schoenberg Hall (445 Charles E Young Drive East, Los Embassy/Consulate will automatically remove the Angeles, CA 90024). Emil Viklický will perform with his citizen from a regular voter registration list in the Czech Republic. exceptional colleagues Dustin Morgan (bass) and Richard Weller (drums) on the Opening Night (October 10) that In case a prospective voter is outside their long- starts at 7:00 p.m. term/permanent residence at the time of the election, Czech Embassy/Consulate can issue an electoral ID card The event is jointly organized by a number of European at the voter’s request for those who are listed in the special Consulates in Los Angeles (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, voter´s registry. This ID card would then authorize the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland vote to be cast outside the long-term/permanent place of and Switzerland) and UCLA Department of Music. residence, including any election district abroad or even an election district in the territory of the Czech Republic. It is not only celebrating a jazz music but also serves as an opportunity to welcome Croatia into the European Union. The electoral ID card request must be delivered to the The festival will offer Angelinos the best of current Consulate General in Los Angeles no later than October European jazz music and surely should not be missed by 18, 2013, or requested by personal appearance at the any jazz fans. The event is free to public. Consulate General in Los Angeles no later than October 23rd, 4:00 PM. The Consulate General in Los Angeles will start issuing electoral ID cards on October 10, 2013. Voting While on Short-term Stay Abroad Czech citizens who are abroad only temporarily must still register for an electoral ID card. In this case the electoral ID card must be issued in the Czech Republic prior to the short stay abroad, within the jurisdiction of the registry closest to their permanent residence. The electoral ID card request must be delivered to the Municipal authority no later than October 18, 2013, or Emil Viklický requested by personal appearance no later than October 23rd, 4:00 PM. For detailed information please visit the website of the Consulate General at www.mzv.cz/losangeles. Page 2 Cont´d from page 1 I am also pleased to announce that the Petrof Music Series which we organize in cooperation with Society All Czech citizens can vote, either back in the Czech of Arts and Sciences (SVU) will continue this fall with Republic or at Embassies and Consulates General jazz concerts of Emil Viklický. Besides performing in abroad. If you live in California or other Western Seattle and San Francisco, he will also participate at states and would like to come to vote at the Consulate the EU jazz festival at UCLA on October 10, 2013. His General in Los Angeles, you must register with the own separate concert with saxophonist Benny Golbin Consulate by September 15, 2013. Please, see the will take place at my residence on Friday, October 11. story on previous page for more information or visit our website: www.mzv.cz/losangeles for more details. I am very excited that Czech language schools in Los Angeles and Orange County continue to grow each This fall, we will have an opportunity to celebrate the semester. The LA school has reached a point that the life and to commemorate the work of one of the classes will be moving from the Consulate to the greatest Czechs of the 20th century – playwright, Beverly Hills Country Club to better accommodate the dissident and President Václav Havel. The Czech increased number of children this semester. I would Embassy in Washington, DC selected the late Václav like to thank Lilian Roter and Miron Ilincev for Havel as a person to whom the annual Mutual facilitating this move. The Consulate will still continue Inspiration Festival will be dedicated to this year. The to support the teaching of Czech language to kids and first event will take place at the Wende Museum of adults and will organize a St. Nicholas celebration Communism, which is, I would say fittingly, devoted to again in December and much more. Please, check our the history of Communist dictatorships. We will be website or our Facebook page. screening Havel’s film “Leaving”, his debut as a movie director, on September 15, 2013. A fantastic exhibit of Paul Goldsmith’s photographs called “Prague 1968” which just opened on August 21, th I am also looking forward to a theater performance of the day of the 45 anniversary of the infamous Warsaw Edward Einhorn’s Untitled Theater Company # 61 Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, is on display at the st from New York City which will perform a series of Front Gallery at the Consulate until November 21 , monologues from Havel’s plays at my residence on 2013. I can assure you it is worth seeing. To conclude, September 29, 2013. And I am excited that UCLA is let me wish you all a great fall season, when we will th organizing an exhibit at the beautiful Powel Rotunda celebrate the Czech National Holiday on October 28 , on campus. which may include a music performance of renowned Czech violinist Ivan Ženatý, and I look forward to Please, join us for the opening of this prestigious seeing you at our cultural events. exhibition about Havel, his life, his work and his connection to Los Angeles on October 8, 2013. Several documentaries about Havel will be also screened at the Consulate General in Los Angeles. The legendary Czech film director Jiří Menzel will come to Denver and Los Angeles this September. The famous American Academy for Arts and Sciences will honor Menzel with a special evening on September 23, 2013 and will screen his Oscar winning movie “Closely Watched Trains” from a brand new film print at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy.