Czechs' Havel gives farewell speech

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Vaclav Havel, the playwright-turned-politician who led Czechs from behind the Iron Curtain, gave a heartfelt farewell speech to lawmakers choosing his successor, urging them to work for "freedom and dignity" for all.

But in three rounds of voting, Parliament failed to agree on a new president to take over when Havel's second term ends Feb. 2 -- reflecting the difficulty in replacing a leader who has become a moral authority at home and abroad.

After two candidates were eliminated in an earlier round Wednesday, former Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Senate Speaker Petr Pithart faced each other in a third round -- but neither was able to garner the required number of votes to win.

Now legislators must start from scratch, with another three rounds. It was not clear when a new vote would be held. The constitution requires a vote within 30 days of the presidency's becoming vacant. Klaus, the top vote-getter, said he would run again, though it was not known who else would be a candidate.

Havel said the failure of Wednesday's vote "is not a catastrophe, but it is a pity," according to his spokesman, Ladislav Spacek. "There is still enough time for Parliament to elect a new president before his term expires. And even if it does not, the constitution has ways to deal with the problem," Spacek said.

Before the vote, the legislators gave Havel a hearty standing ovation as he delivered his farewell address and left the Prague Castle's lavish Spanish Hall.

Czech term limits

Havel, who is barred by law from seeking a third term, urged legislators to always follow their conscience in their work. "It was not to be continually loved by all that we -- I in the past and you more recently -- were chosen," Havel said.

"We were elected in the hope that we would do what, according to our knowledge and our convictions, is in the long-term interests of human society as a whole, what is in the interest of the freedom, security, and dignity of all of us, what is in the interest of our life in peace and prosperity."

Havel also made an indirect reference to a Parliament vote set for today on possible Czech participation in a military operation in Iraq.

He said the decision should not be "populistic" and that lawmakers should follow their "highest authority ... your conscience, and equally your sense of responsibility."

Havel briefly summed up his own time as president, which began in December 1989, just after communist rule ended in Czechoslovakia. He has served two terms as Czech president since 1993, when the Czech Republic and Slovakia parted ways.

Havel, who was a leading member of the Charter 77 human rights movement, has become an internationally known legend and symbol of powerful resistance to communist oppression.

He has struggled to keep up with a busy schedule despite a long history of respiratory problems dating back to the years he spent in communist jails. Havel is a former chain smoker and has suffered from chronic bronchitis since a third of his lung was removed in December 1996 following the discovery of a cancerous tumor.

Under Czech rules for electing the president -- which is done by Parliament -- to win in the first round, a candidate had to get at least 101 votes in the 200-seat lower chamber of the Parliament and 41 votes in the 81-seat upper chamber.

The first round of voting eliminated two candidates -- a former justice minister and a lawyer nominated by the Communist Party.

A second and third round failed to decide between Klaus, of the opposition Civic Democratic Party, and Pithart, of the Christian Democrats.

In the third round, Klaus won 113 votes in the two chambers, short of the 141 he needed. Pithart received 84 votes. All lawmakers were present for the vote.