On 1 January 2018 Pithart received the Order of the White Double Cross state award (second class) from Slovak President Andrej Kiska.

He was later one of the most prominent dissidents against the communist regime, and was imprisoned for his activities, including being one of the first signatories of Charter 77.

[citation needed] His 1990-92 Czech government was unable to deal with the growing power of federal Finance Minister Václav Klaus and his increasingly popular Civic Democratic Party, nor growing Slovak nationalism, which culminated in the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and defeat for Pithart's Civic Movement party.

Pithart was unsuccessful in his bid to become President of the Czech Republic at the 2003 election, losing to Václav Klaus.

In 1998 Pithart joined the Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party.