Pavol Paška
Encyclopedia
Pavol Paška is a Slovak politician and was the 20th Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic
(4th since Slovakia gained independence in 1993).
of the Comenius University in Bratislava
in 1985. His study fields included philosophy and aesthetics. Prior to his university studies he had worked for State Company Zdroj in Slovakia’s second largest city of Košice
in which he was born on 23 February 1958. After finishing his study he worked at Education and Culture Centre in Košice and at Self-Administration Office and later Municipal District Administration KVP in Košice. Paška became active in the business sphere in 1992 before entering politics in 1999.
He was speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic from 2006 to 2010. One of his employees was the Slovak philosopher Dr. Luboš Blaha
.
His party, Direction – Social Democracy, led by current Prime Minister Robert Fico
, won the June 2006 parliamentary elections with 29.1% of the votes and formed a coalition with the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia
(ĽS-HZDS) and the Slovak National Party (SNS). Support for Direction – Social Democracy party after the elections rose even higher, oscillating in the summer 2007 opinion polls around 40%.
National Council of the Slovak Republic
The National Council of the Slovak Republic , abbreviated to NR SR, is the national parliament of Slovakia. It is unicameral, and consists of 150 MPs, who are elected by universal suffrage under proportional representation every four years....
(4th since Slovakia gained independence in 1993).
Education and professional career
Paška graduated from the Faculty of ArtsFaculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts was one of the four traditional divisions of the teaching bodies of medieval universities, the others being Theology, Law and Medicine...
of the Comenius University in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
in 1985. His study fields included philosophy and aesthetics. Prior to his university studies he had worked for State Company Zdroj in Slovakia’s second largest city of Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
in which he was born on 23 February 1958. After finishing his study he worked at Education and Culture Centre in Košice and at Self-Administration Office and later Municipal District Administration KVP in Košice. Paška became active in the business sphere in 1992 before entering politics in 1999.
Parliamentary career
Paška was sworn into office on 4 July 2006 after 98 Members of Parliament out of the 148 present in a 150-seat single-chamber Slovak parliament supported his nomination in a secret ballot that took place on the same day. He was elected a Member of Parliament in 2002 and re-elected again in the June 2006 general elections. Right after being chosen to lead the Slovak Parliament Paška became also temporary Chair of the Conference of the Speakers of European Union Parliaments after The National Council of the Slovak Republic took over the Conference’s presidency on 3 July 2006. In that capacity he hosted and chaired annual 4-day summit meeting of all heads of European Union Parliaments – EU’s highest-level inter-parliamentary cooperation forum – that took place in Bratislava on 24 – 27 May 2007.He was speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic from 2006 to 2010. One of his employees was the Slovak philosopher Dr. Luboš Blaha
Luboš Blaha
Luboš Blaha is a Slovak philosopher, political scientist and politician. He works for the former Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Pavol Paška ....
.
Political career
A co-founder (1999) and one of the vice-chairs since May 2003 of Smer – sociálna demokracia (Direction-Social Democracy) party, Paška served on three parliamentary Committees during the 2002–2006 3rd term of office of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. After having sat on the Parliament’s Health Care Committee and on the Special Oversight Committee for the SIS he was elected Chair of the Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, a post he held from 24 August 2004 until the June 2006 parliamentary elections. In his political work he mainly focuses on European issues, foreign policy, international relations, health care, and social issues.His party, Direction – Social Democracy, led by current Prime Minister Robert Fico
Robert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
, won the June 2006 parliamentary elections with 29.1% of the votes and formed a coalition with the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia
People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia
The People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia , abbreviated to ĽS-HZDS or usually HZDS, is a national conservative political party in Slovakia...
(ĽS-HZDS) and the Slovak National Party (SNS). Support for Direction – Social Democracy party after the elections rose even higher, oscillating in the summer 2007 opinion polls around 40%.