Vladimír Mečiar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vladimír Mečiar
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Mečiar in 2004
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| Prime Minister of Slovakia | |
| In office 13 December 1994 – 30 October 1998 |
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| President | Michal Kováč |
| Preceded by | Jozef Moravčík |
| Succeeded by | Mikuláš Dzurinda |
| In office 24 June 1992 – 16 March 1994 |
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| President | Michal Kováč |
| Preceded by | Ján Čarnogurský |
| Succeeded by | Jozef Moravčík |
| In office 27 June 1990 – 6 May 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Milan Čič |
| Succeeded by | Ján Čarnogurský |
| President of Slovakia | |
| Acting 2 March 1998 – 30 October 1998 Serving with Ivan Gašparovič
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| Preceded by | Michal Kováč |
| Succeeded by | Mikuláš Dzurinda (acting) Jozef Migaš (acting) |
| Acting 1 January 1993 – 2 March 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Michal Kováč |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 11 January 1990 – 27 June 1990 |
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| Prime Minister | Milan Čič |
| Preceded by | Milan Čič |
| Succeeded by | Anton Andráš |
| Member of the National Council | |
| In office 15 October 2002 – 12 June 2010 |
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| In office 16 March 1994 – 13 December 1994 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 July 1942 Zvolen, Slovakia |
| Political party | KSS (before 1970) Independent (1970–1989) VPN (1989–1991) HZDS (1991–2014) |
| Spouse | Margita Mečiarová |
| Alma mater | Comenius University in Bratislava |
Vladimír Mečiar (born 26 July 1942) is a Slovak politician who served as the prime minister of Slovakia several times. He was the leader of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), a major political party in Slovakia.
Mečiar played a key role when Czechoslovakia split into two separate countries in 1992–93. He was also a leading candidate for president in Slovakia in 1999 and 2004. During his time in office, he faced criticism for his leadership style.
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Early Life
Vladimír Mečiar was born in Detva in 1942. He was the oldest of four brothers. His father worked as a tailor, and his mother was a homemaker.
Political Career
Starting in Politics
Mečiar began his political journey in the Communist Party of Slovakia. This was the main way to become important in Communist Czechoslovakia. He became a committee chairman in the town of Žiar nad Hronom.
However, he was removed from his position in 1969. This happened after he gave a speech supporting reforms, following the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. A year later, he was also removed from the Communist Party. He was then seen as an enemy of the government. While working in a glass factory, he studied law at the Comenius University.
The Velvet Revolution
In late 1989, big changes happened in Czechoslovakia. This was called the Velvet Revolution, which ended Communist rule. Mečiar joined a new political group called Public Against Violence (VPN). This group was similar to the Czech Civic Forum.
On 11 January 1990, VPN was looking for skilled people to join the government of Slovakia. Mečiar was chosen to be the Minister of the Interior and Environment for Slovakia. Alexander Dubček, a famous politician, suggested him because he was impressed by Mečiar's knowledge.
Prime Minister of Slovakia
First Time as Prime Minister
After the first democratic elections in Czechoslovakia in June 1990, Mečiar became the Slovak prime minister. He represented the VPN party in a government with the Christian Democratic Movement. He supported changes to the economy and wanted Slovakia to remain connected with the Czechs in a federation.
In 1990, many new political parties formed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. By the end of 1990, some of Mečiar's partners in VPN started to disagree with him. The party split into two groups in March 1991. On 23 April 1991, the Slovak parliament removed him as prime minister. Ján Čarnogurský took his place. A few days later, VPN officially split. Mečiar became the leader of the new party, the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), in June 1991.
Second Time as Prime Minister
In 1991 and 1992, the Czech and Slovak Republics had many talks about their future. But they could not agree. In the June 1992 elections, Mečiar's HZDS won in Slovakia. Václav Klaus's party won in the Czech Republic.
Mečiar's party wanted a looser connection between the two republics, like a confederation. But Klaus's party wanted a more centralized country or two separate countries. Since they could not agree, Mečiar and Klaus decided on 23 July to split Czechoslovakia. This created two independent states. So, on 1 January 1993, Mečiar became the prime minister of independent Slovakia.
In March 1993, Mečiar's party lost some members, and he lost his majority in parliament. He also lost the support of President Michal Kováč. In March 1994, the parliament removed him as prime minister. A new government was formed under Jozef Moravčík. However, after elections in late 1994, his HZDS party won the most votes (35%). He became prime minister again, forming a government with other parties.
Third Time as Prime Minister
During this time, Mečiar faced criticism from his opponents and Western countries. There were concerns about his leadership style and how state companies were privatized.
Relations between Mečiar and President Michal Kováč were difficult. Mečiar was also blamed for issues involving the president's son, though this was not proven. After President Kováč's term ended in March 1998, the Slovak parliament could not choose a new president. So, Mečiar temporarily became acting president.
During his time as acting president, Slovakia's progress towards joining the EU and NATO slowed down. This was slower than for other nearby countries. Even though Mečiar supported Slovakia joining both the EU and NATO, the country faced challenges.
In the 1998 elections, Mečiar's HZDS party finished first, but just barely. They could not form a government with other parties. So, Mikuláš Dzurinda from the opposition became the new Prime Minister. Mečiar then ran for president in 1999, but he lost to Rudolf Schuster. In 2000, Mečiar's HZDS party changed its name to "People's Party — Movement for a Democratic Slovakia."
After Being Prime Minister
In 2000, Mečiar seemed to step back from his big political goals. His party colleague, Augustín Marián Húska, said that events like the NATO action in Yugoslavia in 1999 showed them that they should not try to be too independent.
In the 2002 election, many thought Mečiar would win again. However, there were concerns that if he became prime minister, it might affect Slovakia's chances of joining the EU. His HZDS party still got a high percentage of votes (20%). But, like in 1998, no other party wanted to work with him. So, Dzurinda became prime minister again. The HZDS party's votes were lower than before because of disagreements within the party. Some members left and formed new parties, like the Movement for Democracy (HZD) led by Ivan Gašparovič.
In the 2004 presidential election, Mečiar tried to become president again. But he lost in the second round to his former ally, Ivan Gašparovič. In the 2006 parliamentary election, HZDS had its lowest election result, with only 8.79% of the votes. Mečiar asked for the election results to be checked. HZDS joined Robert Fico's government, but Mečiar did not become a minister. He decided not to run in the 2009 presidential election.
In the 2010 parliamentary election, Mečiar's HZDS party got only 4% of the votes. This meant they were not in parliament for the first time ever. In the 2012 elections, their votes dropped even more to 0.93%. The party was finally dissolved in 2014.
Personal Life
Vladimír Mečiar is married to Margita, who is a medical doctor. They have three children.
See also
- List of political parties in Slovakia
- List of presidents of Slovakia
- List of prime ministers of Slovakia
- Ivan Lexa
- Jaroslav Svěchota
