Prime Minister of Slovakia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chairman of the Government of the Slovak Republic
Coat of arms of the Slovak Republic
Incumbent Robert Fico since 25 October 2023
Member of	European Council
Residence	Episcopal Summer Palace, Old Town, Bratislava
Appointer	President of the Slovak Republic
Term length	Four years renewable
Formation	1 January 1993
First holder	Vladimír Mečiar
Salary	c. 132,000 € per annum (2024)

The Prime Minister of Slovakia is the main leader of the government in Slovakia. This person is officially called the Chairman of the Government of the Slovak Republic. In Slovak, people often say Predseda vlády or Premiér.

Even though the President and the leader of the National Council are higher in official rank, the Prime Minister is usually the most important political figure in the country.

This job was created in 1969. Since then, fifteen different people have been the head of government. After Slovakia became an independent country in 1993, nine people have held this position. The current Prime Minister, Robert Fico, started his role on October 25, 2023.

History of Slovakia's Prime Ministers

The role of Prime Minister in Slovakia began in 1969. This happened because of a special law called the Constitutional Act on the Czechoslovak Federation. Before that, similar leaders existed from 1918. They led the government in the Slovak part of Czechoslovakia or the Slovak State.

Since Slovakia became fully independent in 1993, nine different people have served as Prime Minister. Robert Fico has been the Prime Minister since October 25, 2023.

What Does the Prime Minister Do?

Slovakia is a parliamentary republic. This means the Prime Minister is responsible to the National Council, which is like the parliament. The Slovak Constitution says that a Prime Minister must have the support of the Parliament. They need to keep this support to stay in office.

If the Prime Minister loses the Parliament's trust, the President must ask them to step down. The President then chooses a new Prime Minister. Sometimes, the old Prime Minister might stay on as a temporary leader with limited powers.

The Prime Minister is the most powerful person in the government. They lead and manage the government's work. While the President officially appoints the ministers (the people in charge of different government departments), they do so based on the Prime Minister's suggestions.

The Designated Prime Minister

Sometimes, you might hear the term "Designated Prime Minister of Slovakia." This is an unofficial title. It's given to someone the President asks to form a new government. This person will replace the current Prime Minister.

This tradition is not written in a law. It's a long-standing practice. The President usually chooses someone who has the support of most lawmakers in the National Council.

Leaders of Slovakia's Government

Prime Ministers in Independent Slovakia (1993–Present)

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	How long they served	Political Party		Cabinet	Government Members	Election	President
Vladimír Mečiar	Vladimír Mečiar (born 1942)	1 January 1993	15 March 1994	1 year, 73 days		HZDS	Mečiar II	HZDS • SNS	1992	Michal Kováč Michal Kováč (1993–1998)
Jozef Moravčík	Jozef Moravčík (born 1945)	15 March 1994	13 December 1994	273 days		DEÚS	Moravčík	SDĽ • KDH • DEÚS • NDS
Vladimír Mečiar	Vladimír Mečiar (born 1942)	13 December 1994	30 October 1998	3 years, 321 days		HZDS	Mečiar III	HZDS • SNS • ZRS	1994
Mikuláš Dzurinda	Mikuláš Dzurinda (born 1956)	30 October 1998	16 October 2002	7 years, 247 days		SDK	Dzurinda I	SDK • SDĽ • SMK • SOP	1998	Rudolf Schuster Rudolf Schuster (1999–2004)
		16 October 2002	4 July 2006			SDKÚ	Dzurinda II	SDKÚ • SMK • KDH • ANO (2002–2006)	2002
								SDKÚ • SMK • ANO (2006)		Ivan Gašparovič Ivan Gašparovič (2004–2014)
Robert Fico	Robert Fico (born 1964)	4 July 2006	8 July 2010	4 years, 4 days		Smer	Fico I	Smer • SNS • ĽS–HZDS	2006
Iveta Radičová	Iveta Radičová (born 1956)	8 July 2010	4 April 2012	1 year, 271 days		SDKÚ–DS	Radičová	SDKÚ–DS • SaS • KDH • Most–Híd	2010
Robert Fico	Robert Fico (born 1964)	4 April 2012	23 March 2016	5 years, 352 days		Smer	Fico II	Smer	2012
		23 March 2016	22 March 2018				Fico III	Smer • SNS • Most–Híd • Network (2016)	2016	Andrej Kiska Andrej Kiska (2014–2019)
								Smer • SNS • Most–Híd (2016–2018)
Peter Pellegrini	Peter Pellegrini (born 1975)	22 March 2018	21 March 2020	1 year, 365 days		Smer	Pellegrini	Smer • SNS • Most–Híd
										Zuzana Čaputová Zuzana Čaputová (2019–2024)
Igor Matovič	Igor Matovič (born 1973)	21 March 2020	1 April 2021	1 year, 11 days		OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ	Matovič	OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ • We Are Family • SaS • For the People	2020
Eduard Heger	Eduard Heger (born 1976)	1 April 2021	15 May 2023	2 years, 44 days		OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ	Heger	OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ • We Are Family • SaS • For the People (2021–2022)
								OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ • We Are Family • For the People (2022–2023)
Ľudovít Ódor	Ľudovít Ódor (born 1976)	15 May 2023	25 October 2023	163 days		Independent	Ódor	Technocratic cabinet
Robert Fico	Robert Fico (born 1964)	25 October 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 238 days		Smer	Fico IV	Smer • Hlas • SNS	2023

Timeline of Slovak Prime Ministers (1993–Present)

Related Information

• List of prime ministers of Czechoslovakia
• List of prime ministers of the Slovak Socialist Republic