Marián Čalfa facts for kids

Marián Čalfa was born on May 7, 1946, in Trebišov, a town in what was then Czechoslovakia. He is a Slovak former politician. He played a very important role during a big change in his country's history.

Čalfa served as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia during and after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. This was a peaceful time when Czechoslovakia moved from being a Communist country to a democracy. For 19 days, he also acted as the country's president. He was key in making sure this big change happened smoothly.

Becoming Prime Minister

Marián Čalfa started working for the Czechoslovak government in 1985. He was in charge of a department that made laws. By April 1988, he became the head of the committee that worked on these laws.

In December 1989, a major event called the Velvet Revolution took place. This was a peaceful movement where people wanted more freedom and democracy. During this time, Čalfa was chosen to be the new prime minister. He took over from the previous leader, Ladislav Adamec.

Even though Čalfa had been a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, his new government was different. For the first time in 41 years, the government was not mostly made up of Communists. This was a huge step towards democracy.

Acting President

Soon after Čalfa became prime minister, the country's president, Gustáv Husák, resigned. This meant that Marián Čalfa had to take on many of the president's duties. He did this for 19 days.

His time as acting president lasted until Václav Havel was elected as the new president on December 29, 1989. Havel was a famous writer and a leader of the Velvet Revolution.

Leaving the Communist Party

In January 1990, Marián Čalfa made another important move. He left the Communist Party. He then joined a new political group called Public Against Violence (VPN). This group was similar to Havel's Civic Forum in the Czech part of the country.

By joining VPN, Čalfa became the first prime minister since before World War II who was not a Communist. He helped lead Havel's movement to a big win in the 1990 elections. These elections were the first free elections in Czechoslovakia in many years.

Later, in April 1991, the VPN group split up. Čalfa then joined a new group called the Civic Democratic Union (ODU-VPN). He became an important member of this new party.

Important Reforms

During his time as prime minister, Čalfa led two governments. Both of these governments worked hard to bring in important changes. They helped Czechoslovakia move from a Communist system to a multi-party system. This meant that many different political parties could exist.

They also helped change the country's economy. It moved from being controlled by the government to a more market-based economy. This means businesses had more freedom. Čalfa received strong support from other leaders, including President Václav Havel.

Life After Politics

Marián Čalfa left the government after the 1992 elections. The Public Against Violence party did not win as many votes. He was followed by Jan Stráský, who was in charge of overseeing the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia. This was when Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In 1992, Čalfa became a citizen of the Czech Republic. He then started working as a lawyer in Prague. He became the head of his own law firm.

Some people sometimes criticized Čalfa because he had been a Communist in the past. However, many historians today believe he was a very important person behind the scenes. They say he helped make the Velvet Revolution happen smoothly and quickly. He was good at talking to people and helped convince Communist Party members to agree to big changes. These changes were sometimes even bigger than what the democracy supporters had hoped for.

See also

In Spanish: Marián Čalfa para niños