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