Vladimir Meciar is a former Slovakian prime minister. He was in charge of the discussions that led to Slovakia becoming an independent country with what is now the Czech Republic. Despite being elected Prime Minister three times in the past, he is now one of the most despised public figures in the country. Corruption, unemployment, economic stagnation, and dictatorial policies have all been linked to his reign. He further exacerbated tensions between Slovakians and Hungarians by enacting policies like banning the use of Hungarian on official documents and eliminating Hungarian road signs. He attempted to suppress the media and is suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of Michal Kovac, the son of former Slovak President Michal Kovac. His detractors have compared him to heinous figures like Judas and Pontius Pilate. Despite these flaws, he is credited for establishing Slovakia’s independence. He has subsequently withdrawn from politics after being imprisoned for abduction and failing to win elections for numerous years in a row.
Childhood and Adolescence
Vladimir Meciar was born in Zvolen, Czechoslovakia, on July 26, 1942. His father was a tailor, and his mother was a homemaker, therefore he grew up in a modest household. He was the eldest of three brothers. He graduated from Bratislava’s Comenius University in 1959. He competed in multiple amateur boxing fights as a young adult.
Career of Vladimír Mečiar
In 1959, he joined the District National Committee for Ziar nad Hronom as a clerk. He began his political career at this time, pledging his allegiance to the Communist Party of Slovakia. He held many posts within the Slovakia Union of Youth with the Communist Party between 1962 and 1968. One of these positions was chairman of the Czechoslovak Youth Union’s District Committee in Ziar.
In 1968, he openly declared his support for Alexander Dubcek, a pro-democracy activist. That year, Dubcek was deposed, making Meciar unpopular among the rest of the Communist Party. In 1969, the Communist Party expelled him from the party, sacked him from his job, and declared him an enemy of the regime. He was thrown out of politics at the time and spent the following 20 years living beneath the radar.
He started working as a steel worker in 1970. At the same time, he enrolled in Comenius University’s School of Law.
After graduating from law school in 1973, he worked as a clerk and then as a lawyer for the Skloobal legal company. For the next fifteen years, he worked here. In 1989, he returned to politics for the second time. He joined the anticommunist group ‘Public Against Violence’ after the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In early 1990, he was elected to the Czechoslovak Federal Assembly’s House of Nations as a deputy. He was also named Minister of Interior and Environment in Slovakia. Elections were held in June 1990, and the Public Against Violence party came out on top. Meciar was elected Prime Minister of Slovakia.
In 1991, a slew of new political parties sprang up in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, breaking his party in two. He resigned as premier in April after being accused of colluding with the secret police despite being affiliated with the Communist Party. He founded the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia in 1992 and stood for Prime Minister once more. His election campaign was a success, and he promptly initiated discussions with the Czech Republic as the results were announced. He served as the country’s first head of government when Slovakia gained independence as a result of these discussions.
In March of 1994, he was deposed as Prime Minister by parliament and opposition parties. However, in the October 1994 elections, he was re-elected to his third term as Prime Minister. Following the 1998 elections, Meciar was unable to gain enough support and was defeated by Mikulá Dzurinda for the position of Prime Minister.
He was one of the main candidates for Slovakia’s first direct presidential election in 1999, however he came up short.
In the year 2000, he decided to retire from politics. He was imprisoned the same year, and unfortunately for him, the majority of the public praised his decision to leave politics. He became the most despised public figure in Slovakia. In 2004, Vladimir Meciar campaigned for president again, but was defeated.
Major Projects of Vladimír Mečiar
He led the Slovak Republic in discussions with the Czech Republic in 1992. The two parties eventually came to an agreement to form two independent states. This peaceful split appears to have eased decades of disagreement, and it appears that the break has given both countries the confidence to collaborate on multilateral development projects around the world.
Personal History and Legacy
Vladimir Meciar is married to Margarita and has four children with her. His wife is a physician.
Estimated Net Worth
Vladimir is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most well-known. Vladimir Meciar’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
Vladimir Meciar was arrested for kidnapping in 2000. He is accused of ordering the kidnapping of Michal Kovac, the son of the then-Slovak President Michal Kovac.