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Rudolf Schuster

Rudolf Schuster
Rudolf Schuster 2011.jpg
2nd President of Slovakia
In office
15 June 1999 – 15 June 2004
Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda
Preceded by Michal Kováč
Mikuláš Dzurinda (Acting)
Jozef Migaš (Acting)
Succeeded by Ivan Gašparovič
Member of the National Council
In office
30 October 1998 – 15 June 1999
Mayor of Košice
In office
1994 – 15 June 1999
Speaker of the National Council
In office
30 November 1989 – 26 June 1990
Preceded by Viliam Šalgovič
Succeeded by František Mikloško
Personal details
Born (1934-01-04) 4 January 1934 (age 83)
Košice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Political party Independent (1999–present)
Other political
affiliations
Communist Party (1964–1990)
Party of Civic Understanding (1998–1999)
Spouse(s) Irena Schusterová Trojáková(Died 2008)
Signature

Rudolf Schuster (born 4 January 1934) was President of Slovakia from 1999 to 2004. He was elected on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated on 15 June. In the presidential elections of April 2004, in which he sought re-election, Schuster was defeated. He received only 7.4% of the vote, with three other candidates (Ivan Gašparovič, Vladimír Mečiar and Eduard Kukan) receiving more than that. He was succeeded by Ivan Gašparovič.

Schuster was born in Košice. From 1964 to 1990, he was a member of the Communist Party of Slovakia. Before becoming President, he was Mayor (Slovak: primátor) of Košice in 1983–1986 and 1994–1999 respectively. He was also the last Communist president of the Slovak National Council (1989–1990), Ambassador of Czechoslovakia to Canada (1990–1992) and a leader of the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP – Strana občianskeho porozumenia, 1998–1999).

He speaks Slovak, Czech, German, Russian, English, and Hungarian fluently.

Schuster's father's family is of Carpathian German origin, while his mother's family is of Hungarian origin. Rudolf Schuster was married in 1961 to Irena Trojáková (died 2008) and he has two children (son Peter and daughter Ingrid) and two granddaughters. In his private life, he is a sports fan, a traveller and a writer. He is also a camera fan.

In 1998 he founded the centre-left Party of Civic Understanding (SOP – Strana občianskeho porozumenia).

In 1999 he received honorary citizenship from Miskolc, as recognition of the good cooperation between the city and Košice during his mayorship.

In 2004, Schuster sought re-election in the 2004 presidential election and received 7.4% of the votes.


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