Péter Medgyessy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Péter Medgyessy
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Péter Medgyessy in 2014
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| Prime Minister of Hungary | |
| In office 27 May 2002 – 29 September 2004 |
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| President | Ferenc Mádl |
| Preceded by | Viktor Orbán |
| Succeeded by | Ferenc Gyurcsány |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 15 May 2002 – 15 May 2006 |
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| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 1 March 1996 – 8 July 1998 |
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| Prime Minister | Gyula Horn |
| Preceded by | Lajos Bokros |
| Succeeded by | Zsigmond Járai |
| In office 30 December 1986 – 16 December 1987 |
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| Prime Minister | György Lázár Károly Grósz |
| Preceded by | István Hetényi |
| Succeeded by | Miklós Villányi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 October 1942 Budapest, Hungary |
| Political party | MSZMP (until 1989) Independent (1989–present) |
| Spouse | Katalin Csaplár |
| Children | 3 |
| Profession | Economist |
| Website | www.medgyessy.hu |
Péter Medgyessy (born 19 October 1942) is a Hungarian politician who used to be the Prime Minister of Hungary. He served as prime minister from 27 May 2002 to 29 September 2004. He resigned in August 2004 because of disagreements with his political partners. He stayed on as acting prime minister for a short time until a new leader was chosen. His successor was Ferenc Gyurcsány.
Contents
About Péter Medgyessy
His Family and Education
Péter Medgyessy was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 19 October 1942. His family had a long history in the region of Transylvania. His father, Béla Medgyessy, worked for the government in Cluj. Later, his family moved to Budapest. His mother, Ibolya Szolga, worked as an interpreter.
Medgyessy studied economics at the Corvinus University of Budapest. He finished his studies in 1966 and later earned his doctorate. He is very good at languages. He speaks French and Romanian fluently. He also knows English and Russian.
He is married to Katalin Csaplár. He has a daughter and a son from a previous marriage. His adopted daughter, Anita Tornóczky, is a well-known TV presenter in Hungary.
His Early Political Career
From 1966 to 1982, Medgyessy worked in different important roles at the Ministry of Finance. In 1982, he became the Deputy Minister of Finance. Then, in 1987, he became the Minister of Finance. He helped create a new banking system and reform the country's finances.
Between 1987 and 1990, Medgyessy served as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. He helped introduce a new tax system in Hungary. After the end of communism in Hungary in 1989, he left politics for a short time.
From 1990 to 1996, he worked as a leader in several Hungarian banks. In 1996, he returned to politics and became the Minister of Finance again. After this, he worked as a chairman for a bank and an insurance company. He also taught at a business school for 15 years. He received important awards, like the Commander's Cross with a Star of the Order of Merit in 1998. He also received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour from France in 2000.
Becoming Prime Minister
In 2001, the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) chose Péter Medgyessy as their candidate for prime minister. In the 2002 elections, his party won by a small number of votes. On 27 May 2002, the Hungarian Parliament elected Medgyessy as the new Prime Minister of Hungary.
Soon after he became prime minister, a newspaper reported that Medgyessy had worked as a counter-espionage officer before 1989. He admitted this, explaining that he was trying to help Hungary join the International Monetary Fund. This news caused some discussion in the country.
One of his government's main promises was to improve the welfare system. They started a 100-day plan to increase wages for public employees and give extra money to pensioners. These actions helped many people. His popularity was very high at this time.
Under Medgyessy's leadership, Hungary held a referendum on 12 April 2003. This vote was to decide if Hungary should join the European Union. Most political parties, unions, and businesses supported joining the EU. The people voted yes, and Hungary joined the European Union.
In 2004, his party lost the European Parliament election. After this, Medgyessy started to lose support from his political allies. He resigned as prime minister in August 2004. Ferenc Gyurcsány then took over as the new prime minister.
Life After Government
After he resigned, Péter Medgyessy continued to work as a Member of Parliament. He also served as a special ambassador for Hungary. His goal was to help Hungary be a successful member of important international groups, including the European Union. He did not run for parliament again in the 2006 election.
In 2014, he gave an interview where he talked about his time as prime minister. He said he regretted not sharing details about his past work as an agent before the 2002 elections.
Awards and Honors
Péter Medgyessy has received many important awards from different countries:
- In 1998, he received the Commander's Cross with a Star of the Hungarian Order of Merit.
- In 2000, he received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour from France.
- In 2002, he received the Grand Cross of the Belgian Order of the Crown. He also received the Gold and Silver Star of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun.
- In 2003, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Merit of Chile and the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
- In 2004, he became a Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour. He also received the German Federal Cross of Merit.
Images for kids
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Péter Medgyessy in 2014.
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Péter Medgyessy and film director Péter Bacsó in 1994.
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Péter Medgyessy with SZDSZ leader Gábor Kuncze in 2001.
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Péter Medgyessy with President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski in 2004.
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Péter Medgyessy with U.S. President George W. Bush in 2004.
See also
In Spanish: Péter Medgyessy para niños
