Rudolf Schuster

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Rudolf Schuster
Rudolf Schuster

In office
June 15, 1999 – June 15, 2004
Preceded by Mikuláš Dzurinda (acting)
Succeeded by Ivan Gašparovič

In office
1994 – June 15, 1999

In office
November 30, 1989 – June 26, 1990
Preceded by Viliam Šalgovič
Succeeded by František Mikloško

Born January 4, 1934 (1934-01-04) (age 74)
Košice, Czechoslovakia
Present day Slovakia
Spouse Irena Schusterová (d.2008)

Rudolf Schuster (born January 4, 1934 in Košice, Czechoslovakia) was the 2nd President of Slovakia (1999-2004). He was elected on May 29, 1999 and inaugurated on June 15. Schuster was defeated in the presidential elections of April 2004, in which he ran as an independent. He received 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.[1]

1964 to 1990, Schuster was a member of the Communist Party of Slovakia. Before becoming president, he was a 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), an ambassador of Czechoslovakia in 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 is married (spouse Irena Schusterová) and he has two children (son and daughter) and two granddaughters. In his private life, he is a sports fan, a traveller and a writer. He is also a camera fan.

In 1999 he received honorary citizenship from Miskolc, as recognition of the good cooperation between the city and Košice during his mayorship.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Roger East, Richard Thomas (2003). Profiles of People in Power: the world's government leaders. Routledge (UK). ISBN 185743126X. 
  2. ^ Honorary citizens on the official hompage of Miskolc

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Mikuláš Dzurinda (acting)
President of Slovakia
1999–2004
Succeeded by
Ivan Gašparovič