First daughter preps for public life

Like many teenage daughters, she describes herself as a regular daddy's girl. It becomes a slightly different story, however, when that daddy is Miloš Zeman, the future president of the Czech Republic.

In the space of just a few weeks, Kateřina Zemanová has gone from relative anonymity to being one of the most recognizable women in the country. With her bleached blonde hair and high heels, she added a touch of glamour - not to mention youthfulness - to her father's successful election bid.

An ever-present figure by his side during the campaign's final bitter stretch, the 19-year-old appeared on television, gave interviews and effectively filled the gap left by her media-shy mother, Ivana. By their very nature, presidential runoffs are fierce battles, but Zemanová acknowledges the one with Karel Schwarzenberg was more divisive than most.

"Of course, the past five or six months have been really tough," she told The Prague Post. "Especially the last month, which was [a case of] selecting people and putting them in two different groups. I thought there was going to be a war in the Czech Republic if the campaign ran for another month. So I'm really happy it's over."

Zemanová, who speaks animatedly and quickly in fluent English, said she decided to get involved in the campaign after returning from a two-month summer break. Her aim was to show a more personal side to her father, attempting to stem the tide of support for Schwarzenberg among younger voters.

Part of that involved setting up a Facebook page and debating the merits of the rival candidate, which Zemanová says a lot of people were unable to do. "They didn't really know why they were voting for [Schwarzenberg]," she said. "They talked about him being cool or aristocratic, but they just couldn't give me one decent argument."

Zeman himself is quoted as saying he wouldn't have won the election without his daughter, and there is certainly a sense of mutual respect between the pair. She admits it is a case of what you see is what you get with her father, adding he takes charge around the house.  

"He's a very strict father, but there's not a lot of difference if you see him on TV and if you see him at home," Zemanová said. "He's still that same guy with a strong sense of humor, and he's very intelligent. I'm a proud daughter because I don't need Google or Wikipedia; I just need my dad."

Family loyalties

As you would expect from a family member, Zemanová is very defensive of her father's perceived faults. She accuses the media of waging a dirty campaign against him, thus adopting a similar attitude to the man who once called journalists "hyenas." Put it to her that Zeman unfairly attacked Schwarzenberg over his background and opinions, and the teenager leaps into action.

"I don't think it's a bad thing when my dad points out that Mr. Schwarzenberg did something wrong in his political career," she said. "Some people take it negatively, and they say, 'Why are you putting dirt on Mr. Schwarzenberg?' I don't think it's true; it's just showing the mistakes the other candidate made."

Although she rejects the mantle of first lady, there is no doubting Zemanová will play a key role in her father's presidency. She has scaled back her timetable at the prestigious Czech-English Amazon high school in Prague 1, where she studies English, French and international relations, and will be provided with her own bodyguard.

Indeed, thrust firmly into the spotlight, Zemanová has already received her fair share of unwanted attention. According to recent reports, she has had dozens of marriage proposals, while Internet forums have enjoyed a laugh at her expense by mocking up unflattering and derogatory photos of the student and the president-elect.

Such behavior arises from her mother's refusal to embrace the first lady role or have any kind of public persona. Zemanová attributes that reluctance to bad experiences with the press during her father's reign as prime minister but is adamant she won't fall into the same trap.

"The media have said so many negative things about my mom, which aren't accurate, but she can't react because she doesn't want to speak to the media," Zemanová said. "But I thought I would give interviews so they know what I'm really like, instead of reading different things about myself that aren't even true."

Some observers have labeled the teenager "mini Zeman," and she looks set to follow him into politics or forge a career in diplomacy. Growing up, though, she didn't see much of her father. The family lived largely separate lives while he was head of government, with Zemanová's memories of him from that time (she was only 3 years old) pretty patchy.

"I remember I thought he was the devil," she said with a smile. "He would use another door to our house, and I saw him in the living room and just started crying and running to my mother, because I didn't really recognize him at that time. I mostly saw him on TV."

Jonathan Crane can be reached at
jcrane@praguepost.com