Rudolf Schuster

Rudolf Schuster
Schuster in 2011
2nd President of Slovakia
In office
15 June 1999 – 15 June 2004
Prime MinisterMikuláš Dzurinda
Preceded byMichal Kováč
Mikuláš Dzurinda (Acting)
Jozef Migaš (Acting)
Succeeded byIvan Gašparovič
Member of the National Council
In office
30 October 1998 – 15 June 1999
Mayor of Košice
In office
1994–1999
In office
1983–1986
Czechoslovakia Ambassador to Canada
In office
28 August 1990 – 3 May 1992
Preceded byJán Janovic
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Speaker of the National Council
In office
30 November 1989 – 26 June 1990
Preceded byViliam Šalgovič
Succeeded byFrantišek Mikloško
Personal details
Born (1934-01-04) 4 January 1934 (age 90)
Košice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Political partyIndependent (1990–1998, 1999–present)
Other political
affiliations		Communist Party (1964–1990)
Party of Civic Understanding (1998–1999)
Spouse
Irena Schusterová-Trojáková
​
​
(m. 1961; died 2008)​
Alma materSlovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Signature

Rudolf Schuster (born 4 January 1934) is a Slovak politician, who served as the second president of Slovakia from 1999 to 2004. He was elected on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated on 15 June. In the presidential elections of April 2004, in which he sought re-election, Schuster was defeated.[1] He received only 7.4% of the vote, with three other candidates (more specifically Ivan Gašparovič, Vladimír Mečiar, and Eduard Kukan) receiving more than that. He was succeeded by Ivan Gašparovič.[2]

Life and career

Schuster was born in Košice. From 1964 to 1990, he was a member of the Communist Party of Slovakia. Before becoming president, he was Mayor (Slovak: primátor) of Košice in 1983–1986 and 1994–1999 respectively. He was also the last Communist president of the Slovak National Council (1989–1990), Ambassador of Czechoslovakia to Canada (1990–1992) and a leader of the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP – Strana občianskeho porozumenia, 1998–1999).

Schuster speaks German (including Mantak dialect), Slovak, Czech, Russian, English and Hungarian fluently.

Schuster's father's family is of Carpathian German origin, while his mother's family is of Hungarian origin. Rudolf Schuster was married in 1961 to Irena Trojáková (died 2008) and he has two children (son Peter and daughter Ingrid) and two granddaughters. In his private life, he is a sports fan, a traveller and a writer. He is also a camera fan.

In 1998, Schuster founded the centre-left Party of Civic Understanding. In 1999 he received honorary citizenship from Miskolc, as recognition of the good cooperation between the city and Košice during his mayorship.[3]

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meets with President of Slovakia Rudolf Schuster at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on 22 November 2002.

In 2004, Schuster sought re-election in the 2004 presidential election and received 7.4% of the votes.

Writing

Rudolf Schuster is a member of the Association of Slovak Writers. He has been author of film scripts for various television films. His most famous works are detective novels and travelogues mainly about Brazil and Canada.[4]

Bibliography

  • Necestami Brazílie (1987)
  • Prípad „Puntičkár“ (1987)
  • Nežiaduci dôkaz (1988)
  • Čierny notes (1989) – ISBN 80-85110-09-1
  • Bol som pri tom (1989)
  • Rodné putá: J. Fabini (1994) – ISBN 8085727129
  • So skalpelom a bez neho (1994) – ISBN 80-85727-13-7
  • Stopy viedli k Indiánom (1995) – ISBN 80-967412-1-7
  • Strieborný mercedes (1995) – ISBN 80-85727-14-5
  • Ultimátum (1996) – ISBN 80-967412-2-5
  • Hlavná (1997) – ISBN 80-967412-4-1
  • Návrat do veľkej politiky (1998) – ISBN 80-968272-0-0
  • Explózia (1999) – ISBN 80-967412-7-6
  • Ako to bolo (2000)
  • Rozhovory s Milanom Čičom (2001) – ISBN 80-968272-7-8
  • Muž s dvoma srdcami (2001) – ISBN 80-968272-5-1
  • V tieni brazilských pralesov (2002) – ISBN 80-890840-5-2
  • Farby Islandu (2009) – ISBN 978-80-89084-23-4
  • V krajine ľadových medveďov (2010) – ISBN 978-80-89084-29-6
  • Deň na južnom póle (2011) – ISBN 978-80-89084-35-7
  • Kanada, od mora k moru / Canada, From Sea to Sea (2014) – ISBN 978-80-89084-38-8

Honours and awards

National honours

Ribbon bar Country Honours Date
 Czechoslovakia Honour for Services to the Building[5] 1983
 Czechoslovakia Czechoslovak Order of Labour[6] 1989
 Slovakia First Class of the Pribina Cross[7] 1998
 Slovakia First Class of the Order of Andrej Hlinka[8] 2019
 Slovakia First Class of the Order of Ľudovít Štúr[8] 2019
 Slovakia First Class of the Milan Rastislav Štefánik Cross[8] 2019
 Slovakia Medal for Services to Slovak Diplomacy[9] 2023
 Slovakia Gratitude Medal[8] 2024

Foreign honours

Ribbon bar Country Honours Date
 Algeria Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit[10] 2003
 Argentina Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín[11] 2001
 Austria Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria[12] 2004
 Brazil Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross[12] 2001
 Brazil Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco[13] 2024
 Chile Collar of the Order of Merit[12] 2001
 Croatia Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star[14] 2001
 Czech Republic Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion[15] 2019
 Germany Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[12] 2001
 Greece Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer[12] 2000
 Holy See Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX[12] 2002
 Hungary Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary[16] 2003
 Italy Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic[17] 2002
 Lebanon Extraordinary Class of the Order of Merit[12] 2001
 Luxembourg Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau[12] 2002
 Poland Knight of the Order of the White Eagle[18] 2002
 Portugal Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry[12] 2003
 Romania Grand Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania[19] 2000
 Sweden Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim[20] 2002
 Slovenia Gold Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia[21] 2003
 SMOM Collar of the Order pro Merito Melitensi[12] 1999
 Spain Collar of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic[22] 2002
 Ukraine First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise[23] 2004

References

  1. ^ "Schuster gone for good?". The Slovak Spectator. 21 June 2004.
  2. ^ Roger East, Richard Thomas (2003). Profiles of People in Power: the world's government leaders. Routledge (UK). ISBN 1-85743-126-X.
  3. ^ Honorary citizens on the official homepage of Miskolc Archived 23 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Prezident SR - Tvorba". archiv.prezident.sk. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Vyznamenání Za zásluhy o výstavbu" (PDF). prazskyhradarchiv.cz (in Czech). Archive of the Office of the President. 11 January 2008. p. 636. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Řád Práce" (PDF). prazskyhradarchiv.cz (in Czech). Archive of the Office of the President. 30 November 2012. p. 266. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Ocenenia a vyznamenania - Rudolf Schuster". rudolfschuster.sk (in Slovak). Prezidentská knižnica. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Prezidentka Slovenskej republiky | Vyznamenania" (in Slovak).
  9. ^ "Wlachovský ocenil osobnosti slovenskej diplomacie". TERAZ.sk (in Slovak). 29 June 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Journal officiel de la République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire N° 38" (PDF). Journal officiel de la République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire (in French) (38): 2. 25 June 2003. ISSN 0516-5989. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Prezident SR - Júl". archiv.prezident.sk (in Slovak). Office of the President of the Slovak Republic. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ocenenia prezidenta SR". archiv.prezident.sk (in Slovak). Office of the President of the Slovak Republic. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Bývalý prezident Rudolf Schuster si v Národnom divadle v Košiciach prevzal najvyššie brazílske vyznamenanie". Denník N (in Slovak). 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Odluka o odlikovanju Njegove Ekscelencije Rudolfa Schustera". Narodne novine (in Croatian). 2 October 2001. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  15. ^ "PŘEHLED: Prezidentův lékař i Klausův poradce. Podívejte se, koho Zeman vyznamenal". Lidovky.cz (in Czech). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Magyar Közlöny 2003. évi 122. szám" (in Hungarian). 27 October 2003. p. 3. ISSN 2063-0379. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Schuster Rudolf decorato di Gran Cordone" (in Italian). Scrivi alla Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  18. ^ Żarna, Krzysztof (2019). "Stosunki Polsko–Słowackie w latach 1993 – 2002" (PDF). Annales Scientia Politica (in Polish). 8 (1). University of Prešov: 8. ISSN 1339-0732. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  19. ^ "DECRET 216 02/06/2000 - Portal Legislativ". legislatie.just.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Året 2002 Verksamhetsberättelse" (PDF). Kungl. Hovstaterna (in Swedish): 8. 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Predsednik Republike Slovenije > Seznam vseh odlikovancev od leta 1992 do decembra 2007". www.bivsi-predsednik.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  22. ^ "III. Otras disposiciones" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). ISSN 0212-033X.
  23. ^ "З одноденним візитом у Києві побував Президент Словаччини Рудольф Шустер, термін президентства якого завершується 15 червня". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). 5 February 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2024.