His death hit me very hard. It is a very painful loss for the Czech left. Jiří was a well-educated,

honest and decent man. For many years he was a leading figure of our party and

author of several policy documents and economic manifestos. I want to express my sincere

condolences to his family and loved ones. He will be greatly missed by all of us.

Bohuslav Sobotka, President of the Czech Social Democratic Party