Mikuláš Dzurinda

Mikuláš Dzurinda ( born February 4, 1955 in Spišský Štvrtok ) is a Slovak politician. He was the fourth Prime Minister of Slovakia (1998-2006) as well as transport minister in the government Jozef Moravčík (1994 ) and Foreign Minister in the government of Iveta Radicova (2010-2012).

Dzurinda was also Party Chairman of the Conservative-Liberal SDK (1997-2000) and its successor party SDKU -DS ( 2000-2012 ). During his second government (2002-2006) Slovakia first NATO and then joined the EU.

Life

Dzurinda attended the Transport University in Žilina and worked until 1988 in research institutes, from 1988 to 1990 at the Czechoslovak railways. In 1990 he was one of the founders of the Christian Democratic Movement ( KDH), 1994, he was briefly Minister of Transport.

In 1997, Dzurinda was elected party leader of the Slovak Democratic Coalition ( SDK), an alliance of opposition parties that ran against Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar in the elections of September 1998, who ruled increasingly autocratic and nationalistic since 1994. Although Meciar's HZDS party was by a narrow margin still the strongest political force in Slovakia, Meciar but could not find a coalition partner, then replaced him as Prime Minister Dzurinda.

Since January 2002, he was chairman of his own party, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union ( SDKU ). From 30 October 1998 to 15 June 1999, he was interim President of the Republic, together with Jozef Migas.

In June 2006, his party lost the early parliamentary elections that Dzurinda, the Office of the Prime Minister. The SDKU received 18 %, the rival Social Democrats led by Robert Fico 29% of the vote.

After the 2010 parliamentary elections Dzurinda was appointed Foreign Minister in the government of Iveta Radicova.