Péter Medgyessy

Péter Medgyessy
5th Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary
In office May 27, 2002 – September 29, 2004
Preceded by	Viktor Orbán
Succeeded by	Ferenc Gyurcsány
Personal details
Born	(1942-10-19) October 19, 1942 Budapest, Hungary
Political party	independent
Spouse	Katalin Csaplár

The native form of this personal name is Medgyessy Péter. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Péter Medgyessy (Hungarian pronunciation: [peːtɛr mɛdɟɛʃːi] ; born October 19, 1942, Budapest) is a Hungarian politician and was the Prime Minister of Hungary from May 27, 2002 until September 29, 2004. On August 25, 2004 he resigned over disputes with coalition partner Alliance of Free Democrats, but remained caretaker Prime Minister for a 30-day period as required by the Constitution, and a few additional days until his successor Ferenc Gyurcsány was confirmed by Parliament.

Biography

Born in Budapest, Medgyessy studied theoretical economics at the Corvinus University of Budapest (then called Karl Marx University of Economic Sciences). He graduated in 1966, then returned to receive his doctorate. He is fluent in French and Romanian, and knowledgeable in the English and Russian languages.

Between 1966 and 1982, he held various senior positions in departments of the Ministry of Finance. In 1982, he became Deputy Minister of Finance, and in 1987, he became Minister of Finance. His tax system created Hungary's move toward a free market economy.

Between 1988 and 1990, Medgyessy was the Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, and between 1990 and 1996, he was CEO and Chairman of various Hungarian banks. After Gyula Horn took over the Hungarian government, Medgyessy returned to his previous position as Minister of Finance, in 1996. After his term ended, he became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Inter-Europa Bank, and Vice President of Atlasz Insurance Company; he held these positions from 1998 to 2001.

He received the Commander's Cross with a Star of the Order of Merit in 1998, and the highest French decoration, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 2000.

Although he was not a party member, the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) nominated him as their candidate for prime minister. The party won the 2002 elections, and on May 27, 2002, the Hungarian Parliament elected Medgyessy as the Prime Minister of Hungary.

Magyar Nemzet, a newspaper affiliated with the opposition party Fidesz, revealed in 2002 that Medgyessy had acted as a counterespionage officer under the code name D-209 in the III./II. section of the then Ministry for Internal Affairs prior to 1989. Medgyessy admitted to this, stating that his duties lay in the defense of Hungary from the KGB and securing Hungary's IMF membership, which the Soviet Union opposed. However, given the political climate of the time, this is highly controversial.

On August 19, 2004, due to impaired confidence in him by the coalition partner Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ), he declared his resignation. His party, the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) accepted it on the same day, so in effect the government bowed out, which is without precedent in the history of Hungary's young democracy.

The resignation took effect on August 25, and in accordance with the Hungarian Constitution he became "acting Prime Minister" for the next 30 days. In the meantime his successor, Ferenc Gyurcsány, acted on his behalf.

After his resignation, he continued to serve as a Member of Parliament in the role of travelling Ambassador, "to make sure Hungary can become a successful member of the most important international alliances including the European Union", as he stated. He was called back from this position by Ferenc Gyurcsány in mid-2008, after he openly criticized the government in some of his interviews.

He is married to Katalin Csaplár. He has a daughter born in 1969 and a son born in 1970 from a previous marriage.

Sources

• www.mno.hu
• atv.hu (seems to be a small mention)

External links

• Official site