Peter Pellegrini
President-elect of Slovakia
Peter Pellegrini | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Pellegrini in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President-elect of Slovakia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assuming office 15 June 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Robert Fico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeding | Zuzana Čaputová | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister of Slovakia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 22 March 2018 – 21 March 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Andrej Kiska Zuzana Čaputová | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Robert Fico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Igor Matovič | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Speaker of the National Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 October 2023 – 7 April 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Zuzana Čaputová | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | See list
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| Preceded by | Boris Kollár | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Peter Žiga (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 November 2014 – 23 March 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Andrej Kiska | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Pavol Paška | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Andrej Danko | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Leader of Voice – Social Democracy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Outgoing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 28 November 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Office established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | TBD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1975-10-06) 6 October 1975 (age 48) Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Voice – Social Democracy (2020–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Direction – Social Democracy (2000–2020) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Matej Bel University Technical University of Košice (Ing.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter Pellegrini (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈpeter ˈpeleɡriːni]; born 6 October 1975) is a Slovak politician who is the president-elect of Slovakia. He currently serves as the Speaker of the National Council since September 2023 and was the prime minister of Slovakia from 2018 to 2020.
Pellegrini also served as the Minister of Health from December 2019 to March 2020, deputy prime minister (2016–2018) and minister for Education and Science (2014), as well as spending two years as speaker of the National Council (2014–2016). Previously a member member of Direction – Social Democracy, he left the party and co-founded and has led Voice – Social Democracy since June 2020.
In January 2024, Pellegrini announced his candidacy in the 2024 Slovak presidential election. He finished in second behind Ivan Korčok in the first round of voting. However, He defeated Korčok in the second round held on 6 April with 53% of the vote and is scheduled to be inaugurated as the 6th president of Slovakia on 15 June 2024.
Early life and education
Pellegrini studied at the Faculty of Economics of Matej Bel University and the Technical University of Košice, focusing on banking, investment and finance at the latter.[1] Between 2002 and 2006, he worked as an economist and later as advisor to National Council member for Privatization and Economy Ľubomír Vážny, supported by ĽS-HZDS, SNS and Smer-SD.[1][2]
Political involvement
Early functions
In the 2006 parliamentary election, he was elected to the National Council for Direction – Social Democracy (Smer-SD). He was reelected in the 2010 and 2012 elections.[1] Between 2012 and 3 July 2014 he was State Secretary for Finance. He later briefly became Minister for Education and Science.[2]
First mandate as Speaker of the National Council
On 25 November 2014, he was elected Speaker of the National Council, succeeding Pavol Paška.[3] In 2015, he was appointed Digital Champion of Slovakia, a European Union appointed position to promote the benefits of an inclusive digital society.[4]
Prime Minister of Slovakia
Made Deputy Prime Minister for Investments in 2016, under Prime Minister Robert Fico,[5] Pellegrini was sworn in as head of government after his predecessor resigned on 15 March 2018 in the wake of the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak.[6] President Andrej Kiska approved of Pellegrini's Cabinet on 21 March 2018;[7] 81 members of the National Council voted in favour of approving the cabinet the next week.[8]
After serving as Acting Interior Minister in April 2018, Pellegrini temporarily took on the role of Finance Minister when Peter Kažimír left to become Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia in 2019.[9]
Later, in December 2019, he assumed the office of Minister of Health after Andrea Kalavská resigned.[10]
His party lost the 2020 parliamentary election to the populist, anti-corruption party Ordinary People led by Igor Matovič.[11][12][13][14]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as medical supplies began to dwindle, nations began competing for supplies outside their jurisdictions, either paying companies to reroute or seizing equipment intended for other countries. Pellegrini said he booked two million masks from Ukraine, the requirement was payment in cash. However, a German agent appeared, paid more for the masks, and bought them. Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to the situation by saying there was no country in Europe that would not hunt medical masks and respirators around the world.[15]
Second mandate as Speaker of the National Council
On 25 October 2023, he was re-elected Speaker of the National Council with 131 votes.[16]
Presidential candidacy
On 19 January 2024, after popularity by supporters[17] and support by his party Voice – Social Democracy as well as coalition partners Direction – Social Democracy, he announced his candidacy for the presidency.[18]
On 23 March 2024, he came second in the first round with 37.03% with career diplomat Ivan Korčok winning with 42.52% and retired lawyer and judge Štefan Harabin claiming third with 11.74%.[19] Soon after being second, he had claimed support from coalition partners SNS, whose leader Andrej Danko, withdrew from the first round, as well as unsuccessful candidates Krisztián Forró and Ján Kubiš.[20]
On 6 April 2024, in the second round, he won with 53.12% defeating Ivan Korčok with 46.88%.[21] On the day after the election, he confirmed that he will resign as leader of HLAS-SD and withdraw his membership of the party to honour the unwritten political tradition of the president being a nonpartisan officeholder.[22]
Political positions
Foreign policy
In April 2024, Pellegrini stated if another NATO member state were attacked by Russia, he would oppose sending Slovak Armed Forces to assist that member state, as required by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.[23]
Personal life
Pellegrini has Italian ancestors.[24] His great-grandfather Leopoldo Pellegrini came to Austria-Hungary to participate in the construction of the railway between Levice and Zvolen.[25] In 2019, he described himself as a non-practicing Catholic.[26]
Pellegrini is a bachelor.[27][28] In a 2020 interview with tabloid magazine Plus 7 dní, Pellegrini was asked whether he was gay, which he denied. The incident led to the resignation of the magazine's editor, who alleged that Pellegrini had intervened to stop the question from being published.[29][30]
Pellegrini owns a dog Gery, named after Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher.[31]
References
- ^ a b c "Panellist | Peter Pellegrini". Globsec. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Novým ministrom školstva sa stal Peter Pellegrini". Slovak Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Sport. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ "Novým predsedom parlamentu sa stal Peter Pellegrini" (in Slovak). Teraz. January 1970. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ "The Digital Champion of Slovakia". European Commission. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ "Robert Fico appointed for third time as Slovak PM". Xinhua. 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Reshuffled Slovak Cabinet Takes Office, Easing Crisis After Journalist's Murder". U.S. News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ "Slovak president approves new cabinet". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ "Slovakia MPs okay cabinet despite calls for snap polls". The Sun Daily. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- ^ Hovet, Jason (4 April 2019). "Slovak PM to head finance ministry temporarily after Kazimir leaves". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Hajčáková, Daniela (17 December 2019). "Čaputová prijala Kalavskej demisiu, ministerstvo povedie Pellegrini". Sme. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Anti-corruption party wins Slovakia election". BBC News. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Slovakia election: seismic shift as public anger ousts dominant Smer-SD party". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 1 March 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Slovakia's anti-corruption opposition party wins election". Euronews. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Mortkowitz, Siegfried (29 February 2020). "Anti-corruption opposition wins Slovakia election". Politico Europe. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Zubkova, Dasha (16 March 2020). "Ukraine Was Ready To Sell Slovakia 2 Million Medical Face Masks, But Order Was Cut Off – Prime Minister Of Slovakia Pellegrini". Ukrainian News. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Pellegriniho zvolili za predsedu NR SR. O obštrukciu sa postaral Matovič, v rozprave mu tvrdo vynadal". Pravda (in Slovak). 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Kerekes, Daniel (21 December 2023). "Podpora Pellegriniho rastie, aj keď neohlásil prezidentskú kandidatúru. Teraz by ho Korčok neporazil". Denník N (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Predsedníctvo Hlasu schválilo kandidatúru Pellegriniho na prezidenta". Pravda (in Slovak). 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Výsledky prezidentských volieb 2024 - 1. kolo". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Slovakian Hungarian Alliance to Support Peter Pellegrini in Presidential Elections". Hungary Today (in Slovak). 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Voľby 2024 - Výsledky prezidentských volieb 2. kolo LIVE". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ Massayová, Vanessa (7 April 2024). "Peter Pellegrini sa vzdá členstva aj predsedníctva v Hlase: Chcem dodržať nepísanú tradíciu". Start It Up (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ Bauer, Vojtěch (4 April 2024). "Pellegrini přiznal, že by nebránil spojence z NATO napadené Ruskem". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Deputy prime minister for investments: Peter Pellegrini (Smer)". The Slovak Spectator. Petit Press a.s. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ^ Burčík, Matúš. "Prvý Pellegrini prišiel pred 130 rokmi. Syn bol v ruskom zajatí. Majetok im znárodnili". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press a.s. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Kekelák, Lukáš (14 March 2024). "Zahlasoval za obdobu registrovaných partnerstiev, Záborskú označil za protipotratovú džihádistku". Denník Postoj (in Slovak). POSTOJ MEDIA, s.r.o. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Pellegrini: Slovakia's heartthrob politician to be new PM". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ Dlhopolec, Peter (5 January 2024). "Danko seeks to make Pellegrini's sexuality a topic ahead of presidential race". The Slovak Spectator. Petit Press a.s. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "A chief editor quits over Pellegrini's intervention in a to-be-published interview". The Slovak Spectator. Petit Press a.s. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ Hron, Jan (19 February 2020). "Pellegrini měl zcenzurovat rozhovor. Nelíbila se mu otázka, zda je gay". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Pellegrini ukázal Geryho a prezradil, čo doteraz vedeli len jeho najbližší: Toto je môj miláčik!". Nový čas (in Slovak). FPD Media, a.s. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
External links
Media related to Peter Pellegrini at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister for Education and Science 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the National Council 2014–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia 2016–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Slovakia 2018–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the National Council 2023–present | Incumbent |
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Peter Pellegrini
- 2023 Slovak parliamentary election
- 2023 Speaker election
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