Ferenc Mádl

Ferenc Mádl

2nd President of the Republic of Hungary
In office August 4, 2000 – August 5, 2005
Preceded by	Árpád Göncz
Succeeded by	László Sólyom

Born	January 29, 1931 Bánd
Political party	independent
Spouse	Dalma Némethy

Ferenc Mádl (born January 29, 1931 in the village of Bánd in Veszprém County) was the President of Hungary, between August 4, 2000 and August 5, 2005. He is married to Dalma Némethy, they have one son and three grandchildren.

[edit] University studies and scientific activities

Awarded a diploma from the Faculty of Politics and Law of the Budapest University of Sciences (ELTE) in 1955.

Between 1961-1963 he studied at the faculty of international comparative law of the University of Strasbourg.

He was awarded an academic degree as candidate of politics and law in 1964, and he received a doctorate in 1974 with his dissertation "The company and economic competition in the law of European economic integration".

In 1987 he was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and then in 1993 he was made a full member of the Academy.

In his scientific activities he has primarily dealt with matters of civil law, private international law and legal problems related to international economic relations, as well as European law.

He was secretary of the Scientific Qualifying Committee between 1984-1990, from 1985 he has been a member of the Harvard Academy of International Commercial Law, from 1988 a member of the steering committee of the Rome international institute (UNIDROIT) for unifying private law, while from 1989 he was appointed as a central judge on the Washington-based international selected court for states and foreign investors. Besides these positions he also assists in the editing of several scientific journals and the work of scientific organizations, and he is a member of several international academies.

He has lectured at numerous foreign universities as guest professor, and is the author of several books and studies.

From 1955 he worked as a legal clerk and then as court secretary, then between 1956 and 1971 he worked as political and legal rapporteur at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Central Office, later being promoted to head of department.

From 1971 he taught at the Budapest University of Sciences Department of Civil Law as a docent, before continuing this work as university tutor from 1973.

In the meantime, between 1972 and 1980 he was on the staff of the Hungarian Academy's Institute of Politics and Law, and from 1978 until 1985 he held the post of director of the Institute of Civil Sciences.

He has been director of the Faculty of Private International Law of the Budapest University of Sciences since 1985.

He undertook a role in political life after the change to democracy in 1989. From May 23, 1990 to February 22, 1993 as minister without portfolio in József Antall's government he was charged with supervising the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; he assisted in defining government science policy goals as well as closely observing the harmonization of related state tasks and their implementation; on the basis of separate commissions he represented the government, respectively the prime minister in international organizations; he cooperated with the ministers for justice, foreign affairs and international economic relations in the realization of certain tasks.

From 1991 he also fulfilled duties as government commissioner in connection with the Bős-Nagymaros hydroelectric power plant project.

On the commission of the government, in late 1992 an inter-portfolio committee was formed under his chairmanship to research those works of art illegally taken to the former Soviet Union from Hungary during and after the Second World War, with the aim of winning their return.

He undertook the post of chairman of the board of directors of the State Property Agency on August 1, 1990, and from 1992 he exercised, on the authority of the government, supervisory powers over the State Bank Supervisory Authority, at the same time being appointed chairman of the Bank Supervisory Authority Committee, a role he filled until February 1993.

He also exercised supervisory control over the Central Office of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the National Scientific Research Fund.

He was appointed chairman of the government's Science Policy Committee in August 1990, and he headed the Human Resources Policy Cabinet between 1992-1993.

Between February 22, 1993 and July 15, 1994 he was minister for culture and education. Between February and July of 1994 he filled the post of chairman of the Council for Higher Education and Science. Also in 1994, he was appointed chair of the National Cultural Fund.

He stood as the opposition MDF-KDNP-Fidesz's nominee for President of the Republic in 1995.

From 1999 he has been a member of the scientific advisory body for the Viktor Orbán government.

On March 15, 1999 he was awarded the Széchenyi Prize for his internationally recognized scientific achievements in the areas of European law, private international law and international commercial law, as well as for his higher educational and scientific organizational efforts.

In September of the same year he was also honoured with the French order of the Légion d'honneur.

On May 3, 2000 he was nominated by Fidesz and the FKGP for the position of President of the Republic, which he accepted. The National Assembly of Hungary elected Ferenc Mádl President of the Republic on June 6, 2000. He was inaugurated as President of the Republic of Hungary on August 4, 2000. His duty, by Constitution, extended to 5 years.

His terms as President ended in 2005, he wanted not to run again for the office.

v • d • e

Provisional government	Károlyi*
Hungarian Soviet Republic	Garbai \| Peidl*
Provisional government	Archduke Joseph August \| Friedrich* \| Huszár*
Regency	Horthy
Fascism	Szálasi
Transition to Communism	Miklós \| Tildy
Communist Hungary	Szakasits \| Rónai \| Dobi \| Losonczi \| Németh \| Straub
Republic of Hungary	Szűrös* \| Göncz \| Mádl \| Sólyom	* denotes interim