Robert Fico
Robert Fico [ fitsɔ ] ( born September 15, 1964 in Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak politician, lawyer and the acting Prime Minister of Slovakia.
In 1999 he was chairman of the party he founded SMER - SD. From July 2006 to July 2010 he was the fourth Prime Minister of Slovakia since 1993 ( Fico government I). Under his first government in Slovakia joined the Schengen agreement and the euro zone. On 4 April 2012, he became Prime Minister for the second time.
Life
Fico studied at the Law Faculty of the Comenius University in Bratislava, then worked in the State and Law Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. In 1987 he joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. On his return he joined in 1992 at the " Party of the Democratic Left" (SDL, Strana demokratickej lavice ) and later became Deputy Chairman of the party. In 1994, he was the only opposition MP, who did not leave during the legendary "Long Parliament Night " the meeting and discussed with the future government factions of ZRS, SNS and HZDS about the future direction of the country and brought applications. He was also a deputy director of the Law Institute of the Slovak Ministry of Justice, after a member of parliament and representatives of Slovakia to the European Court of Human Rights. In 1999 he founded the party Smer - The direction and became its chairman.
First Fico government (2006-2010)
In June 2006, new elections were held in Slovakia. They ended with a victory for Robert Fico and his social democratic party SMER -SD, a week after the elections, a coalition agreement with the nationalist SNS by Ján Slota and the greatly weakened HZDS of ex- Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar closed (see also Government Robert Fico I ). The new coalition has been described by critical media, among others, as a chamber of horrors and disaster, as it was feared on the one hand, that the participation of the two ruling in the 1990s parties HZDS and SNS in the coalition could jeopardize the EU and NATO course of the country, for other because the left-populist SMER - SD did not want to further continued the neoliberal policies of the Dzurinda government.
In foreign policy, beat Slovakia Fico 2006-2010 under a largely independent of the U.S. rate, and strengthened relations with various non -EU countries such as Russia, Serbia, Belarus, Libya, Cuba, Venezuela and China. Slovakia rejected Kosovo's independence as well as those required by the U.S. missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland, during the war in Georgia in 2008 Fico condemned the Georgian aggression and took the side of Russia. In 2007, the Slovak government took all Slovak troops from Iraq, increased in return but their military presence in Afghanistan under the condition that Slovak soldiers would not stand for Kamp Fine Set available.
Domestically, there was a series of patriotic measures, eg the development of busts of important historical Slovakian personalities in the entrance of the parliament building (including the 2008 rehabiliterten by law Slovaks leader Andrej Hlinka ), the unveiling of an equestrian statue of the Moravian Prince Svatopluk I. before also of the Fico government rnnovierten Bratislava Castle, and the establishment of two statues in honor of St. Cyril and Methodius in the southern Slovakian border town Komárno. In the presidential elections of 2009, supported by the Fico government incumbent President Ivan Gašparovič has clearly penetrated against the opposition Iveta Radicova.
Economic policy, was able to record the inclusion of Slovakia to the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007 and the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2009 as a success the Fico government. In 2007, Slovakia recorded the highest economic growth in the EU, at 10.4 %. Due to the global financial crisis, however, the GDP per capita in 2009 shrank by 4.7 %. Launched in 2004, flat tax retained the Fico government essentially at, but it came to a stop several privatization projects, the government obstructed gas price increases and expanded workers' rights.
Leader of the Opposition (2010-2012)
In the parliamentary elections in Slovakia in 2010, SMER was indeed confirmed even with vote gains as the strongest party, however, the ruling coalition lost its majority. Fico then took over the post of Vice President of the Slovak Parliament.
Second Fico government (since 2012)
In the parliamentary elections in Slovakia in 2012 in March 2012, the SMER reached a voting share of 44.4 percent, turned 83 deputies in the Slovak National Council with 150 seats and formed the government alone, four ministers have no party affiliation.
Presidential elections in 2014
Fico ran as a presidential candidate for the presidential elections in Slovakia in 2014. It Fico promised to voters, especially stability in difficult times ahead and continuous cooperation between the three highest constitutional support in the country for the benefit of all citizens and social peace. He was supported by all three former presidents of Slovakia as well as the Confederation of trade unions in the country. In addition, French President François Hollande, the European Parliament President Martin Schulz and the Czech President Milos Zeman spoke publicly of their support for Fico. The first round of voting could Fico as expected decide for himself, but was defeated in the runoff to the non-party, but supported by all opposition parties candidates Andrej Kiska.