Rudolf Schuster

About

This former Communist Party politician briefly joined the Party of Civic Understanding before becoming a political Independent and holding office from 1999 until 2004 as the second President of Slovakia. Previously, he had served as Speaker of his country's National Council.

Before Fame

Early in his political career, he served as Mayor of the Slovakian city of Košice.

Trivia

He and Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko were two of the most unpopular candidates to seek re-election in the history of their respective countries. In his 2004 re-election campaign, Schuster received just over seven percent of the total vote; Yuschenko earned an even lower percentage following his own campaign.

Family Life

He was born in Košice, Czechoslovakia, to a family of Hungarian and German descent. His nearly five-decade marriage to Irena Trojáková resulted in one son and one daughter.

Associated With

He and Michal Kovac both held office as President of Slovakia.