Marián Čalfa

Marián Čalfa (born 7 May 1946 in Trebišov) was a Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia during and after the Velvet Revolution, as well as acting President for 19 days, and was a key facilitator of smooth power transfer from the Communists to a new democratic representation.

An ethnic Slovak, he was a member of KSČ, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. From 1985, he worked as the head of a legislative department of the Czechoslovak federal government. In April 1988, he became a minister - the chairman of the legislative committee. During the Velvet Revolution, on 10 December 1989, he was appointed Prime Minister in place of discredited Ladislav Adamec, at the head of the first cabinet in 41 years that was not dominated by the KSČ. As President Gustáv Husák resigned from his office shortly after swearing in the government, Čalfa also took on most presidential duties until the election of Václav Havel on 29 December.

On 18 January 1990, he left the KSČ to join the Public Against Violence (VPN) party and, when it dissolved in April 1991, became a leading member of the Civic Democratic Union (ODU-VPN).

Both cabinets headed by Čalfa succeeded in introducing key reform laws, facilitating the transition from Communism to a free capitalist society. He had strong support of all relevant political powers, including both President Václav Havel and increasingly confident Finance Minister Václav Klaus.

Čalfa resigned from the Federal Government after a defeat of Public Against Violence in elections of 1992. He was succeeded by caretaker Jan Stráský, whose major task was the execution of Dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Since then, Čalfa has been working as a lawyer in Prague, Czech Republic, heading law firm Čalfa, Bartošík a Partneři.

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Čalfa was, occasionally, a target of criticism for his Communist past. Some considered it as a proof, that the Velvet Revolution was unfinished or even "stolen" by members of the past nomenklatura. Presently, historians consider him as a "power behind the throne", who greatly contributed to the smoothness and speed of Velvet Revolution and election of Václav Havel as President. Even though he was a Communist, he used his negotiation skills in the critical moments against his comrades and talked them into compromises, which were more radical that even those the representatives of Civic Forum thought of.

Many politicians of the subsequent democratic era, including Václav Klaus and perhaps Václav Havel, said that they learned many things about real politics from Čalfa.

External links

• Leaders of Czechoslovakia - link to photo
• Members of the first Čalfa's cabinet 1989-90
• Members of the second Čalfa's cabinet 1990-92
• Čalfa, Bartošík a Partneři