Andrej Kiska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrej Kiska
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Kiska in 2014
|
|
| 4th President of Slovakia | |
| In office 15 June 2014 – 15 June 2019 |
|
| Prime Minister | Robert Fico Peter Pellegrini |
| Preceded by | Ivan Gašparovič |
| Succeeded by | Zuzana Čaputová |
| Chairman of For the People | |
| In office 28 September 2019 – 8 August 2020 |
|
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Veronika Remišová |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 February 1963 Poprad, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) |
| Political party | For the People (2019–2021) |
| Spouses |
Mária Kisková
(m. 1983; div. 2001)Martina Kisková (nee Živorová)
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Slovak University of Technology |
| Signature |  |
Andrej Kiska (born 2 February 1963) is a Slovak politician and businessman. He also writes books and helps others through charity work. He served as the fourth President of Slovakia from 2014 to 2019. He ran for president as an independent candidate in 2014. He won the election in the second round against Prime Minister Robert Fico. Kiska decided not to run for president again in 2019. He has written two books about being happy and successful.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrej Kiska was born in Poprad, a city in Slovakia. He studied electrical engineering at university. His father was a member of the Communist Party of Slovakia. Kiska is from the Goral ethnic group.
Business Career and Helping Others
In 1990, Kiska moved to the United States. Later, he started two companies in Slovakia called Triangel and Quatro. These companies helped people buy goods by paying for them in smaller amounts over several months. This is called a hire-purchase system.
Good Angel Charity Work
In 2006, Andrej Kiska helped start a non-profit charity called Dobrý anjel, which means Good Angel. This organization helps families who are facing money problems because a family member has a serious illness, like cancer. By 2016, over 170,000 people in Slovakia had given money to this charity. Good Angel also started helping families in the Czech Republic in 2014.
President of Slovakia (2014–2019)
.jpg)
.jpg)
In the first round of the 2014 Slovak presidential election, Kiska came in second place. He received 24% of the votes. Prime Minister Robert Fico was first with 28%. Since no one got more than half the votes, Kiska and Fico went to a second round of voting on 29 March 2014.
With support from other political parties, Kiska won the second round. He received almost 60% of the votes. He officially became president on 15 June 2014.
On 15 May 2018, Kiska announced that he would not run for president again in 2019. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. At that time, many people trusted Kiska the most among Slovak politicians. He was expected to be a strong candidate if he had chosen to run again.
Views on Foreign Policy
Andrej Kiska supports Kosovo becoming an independent country. He believes Slovakia should officially recognize Kosovo as a separate nation.
After His Presidency
In 2019, Kiska started a new political party called Za Ľudí. Many thought his party would do very well in the 2020 election. However, the party just barely got enough votes to enter parliament.
By August 2020, Kiska announced he was leaving active politics. He mentioned personal and health reasons for his decision.
Kiska has spoken out against Russia for its actions in Ukraine. He supports sanctions against Russia. In the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, Kiska supported the SaS party.
Personal Life and Family
Andrej Kiska was first married to Mária Kisková from 1983 to 2001. They had two children together: Andrej Kiska (born 1986) and Natália Kisková (born 1991). They divorced in 2001.
In 2003, Kiska married his second wife, Martina Kisková. They have three children: a daughter named Veronika (born 2004) and two sons named Viktor (born 2009) and Martin (born 2017). Martin was born while Kiska was president.
Honours and Awards
Slovakia: Order of Andrej Hlinka- Slovakia: Order of Ľudovít Štúr
- Slovakia: Milan Rastislav Štefánik Cross
- Slovakia: Pribina Cross
International Honours
Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Estonia: Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Germany: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Monaco: Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles
Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
Romania: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania
Poland: Knight of the Order of the White Eagle
Europe: European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma
See Also
In Spanish: Andrej Kiska para niños
