Mikuláš Dzurinda | |
---|---|
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 8 July 2010 – 4 April 2012 |
|
Prime Minister | Iveta Radičová |
Preceded by | Miroslav Lajčák |
Succeeded by | Miroslav Lajčák |
Prime Minister of Slovakia | |
In office 30 October 1998 – 4 July 2006 |
|
President |
Rudolf Schuster Ivan Gašparovič |
Preceded by | Vladimír Mečiar |
Succeeded by | Robert Fico |
President of Slovakia Acting |
|
In office 30 October 1998 – 15 June 1999 Served with Jozef Migaš |
|
Preceded by | Vladimír Mečiar (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Rudolf Schuster |
Minister of Transport, Post and Telecommunications | |
In office 16 March 1994 – 13 December 1994 |
|
Prime Minister | Jozef Moravčík |
Preceded by | Roman Hofbauer |
Succeeded by | Alexander Rezeš |
Personal details | |
Born |
Spišský Štvrtok, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) |
4 February 1955
Political party |
Christian Democratic Movement (1990–2000) Democratic Coalition (1998–2002) Democratic and Christian Union-Democratic Party (2000–present) |
Spouse(s) | Eva Dzurindová |
Alma mater | University of Žilina |
Mikuláš Dzurinda (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmikulaːʒ ˈdzurinda]; born 4 February 1955) is a Slovak politician who was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 30 October 1998 to 4 July 2006. He is the founder and leader of the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) and then the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union. From 2002 to 2006, his party formed a coalition government with the Christian Democratic Movement, the Alliance of the New Citizen and the Party of the Hungarian Coalition. Mikuláš Dzurinda's 2nd government was labelled as a reformist one, pro-market and most effective one in economic matters in Slovakia since 1993. Carried out reforms included flat tax 19%, pension reform (second pillar), education financing reform (except colleges and universities). During his term Slovakia joined both the European Union and NATO.
Dzurinda later served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prime Minister Iveta Radičová's coalition government from 2010 to 2012. On 3 December 2013, Dzurinda was elected as President of the Centre for European Studies, the think-tank of the European People's Party, succeeding Wilfried Martens.
Dzurinda was born on 4 February 1955 in the eastern Slovak village of Spišský Štvrtok. He graduated from the College of Transport and Communications in Žilina in 1979. In 1988, he completed his post-graduate scientific research there and was awarded with a Candidate of Sciences (CSc.) degree. He worked for the Transport Research Institute (VÚD) in Žilina as an economic analyst (1979–1988). Later he was the director of an information technology section within the regional directorate of the Czechoslovak Railways(ČSD) in Bratislava (1988–1990).