Andrej Kiska
{{Short description|President of Slovakia from 2014 to 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Expand Slovak|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Andrej Kiska
| image = Andrej Kiska, President of Slovakia (cropped).jpg
| office = 4th President of Slovakia
| primeminister = Robert Fico
Peter Pellegrini
| term_start = 15 June 2014
| term_end = 15 June 2019
| predecessor = Ivan Gašparovič
| successor = Zuzana Čaputová
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|2|2|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Poprad, Czechoslovakia
| party = For the People (2019–2021)
| spouse = {{marriage|{{Interlanguage link|Mária Kisková|sk}}|1983|2001|end=div.}}
{{marriage|Martina Kisková (Živorová)|2003}}
| children = 5
| alma_mater = Slovak University of
Technology
| signature = Andrej Kiska – signature 2021.png
| website =
| office1 = Chairman of For the People
| termend1 = 8 August 2020
| termstart1 = 28 September 2019
| predecessor1 = Office established
| successor1 = Veronika Remišová
| caption = Kiska in 2014
}}
Andrej Kiska ({{IPA|sk|ˈandrej ˈkiska}}; born 2 February 1963) is a Slovak politician, entrepreneur, writer and philanthropist who served as the fourth president of Slovakia from 2014 to 2019. He ran as an independent candidate in the 2014 presidential election in which he was elected to the presidency in the second round of voting over Prime Minister Robert Fico.{{Cite web|title=Slovak PM Fico, political novice advance to run-off presidential vote|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-slovakia-election-idUKBREA2F00V20140316|url-status=dead|website=Reuters|location=United Kingdom|date=16 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808225210/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-slovakia-election-idUKBREA2F00V20140316|archive-date=8 August 2016}}{{Cite web|title=Slováci volí prezidenta. Fica ohrožuje filantrop Kiska|url=http://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/zahranici/evropa/slovaci-voli-prezidenta-fica-ohrozuje-filantrop-kiska_300966.html#.UyV-V84m-t8|date=15 March 2014|website=Týden|publisher=Empresa Media|language=cs|access-date=16 March 2014}}{{Cite web|title=Kandidát na prezidenta Andrej Kiska: Najvyšším zmyslom života je pomáhať druhým!|url=http://www.topky.sk/cl/1000735/1375311/Kandidat-na-prezidenta-Andrej-Kiska--Najvyssim-zmyslom-zivota-je-pomahat-druhym-|website=Topky.sk|date=27 January 2014|access-date=16 March 2014|language=sk}} Kiska declined to run for a second term in 2019. He has written two books about happiness, success, and his life.
Early life
Kiska was born in Poprad. He studied electrical engineering. His father was an active member of the ruling Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS). He also applied for Communist party membership, but was rejected.{{Cite news|first1=Marek|last1=Chorvatovič|first2=Michal|last2=Piško|title=Podnikateľ, filantrop a už aj prezident. Andrej Kiska|url=https://domov.sme.sk/c/7154011/podnikatel-filantrop-a-uz-aj-prezident-andrej-kiska.html|newspaper=Sme|publisher=Petit Press|language=sk}} Kiska is an ethnic Goral.{{Cite web|title="Goral na gory!", alebo Tatry po goralsky |url=https://www.kolackov.sk/--23-90-goral-na-gory-alebo-tatry-po-goralsky|website=Obec Kolačkov|access-date=2 November 2021|language=sk}}
Career
Kiska moved to the United States in 1990, one year after the Velvet Revolution.{{Cite web|title=Novým slovenským prezidentem bude Andrej Kiska|url=http://www.novinky.cz/zahranicni/evropa/331929-novym-slovenskym-prezidentem-bude-andrej-kiska.html|website=Novinky.cz|publisher=Borgis|date=29 March 2014|access-date=30 March 2014|language=cs}} He later founded Triangel and Quatro,{{Cite web|title=Andrej Kiska - životopis|url=http://www.databazeknih.cz/zivotopis/andrej-kiska-23188|website=Databaze Knih|access-date=17 March 2014|language=cs}} two Slovakia-based hire-purchase companies that give the buyer the possibility to pay for goods in several installments over a number of months instead of paying the full price at once.{{Cite web|title=Hire-purchase definition|url=http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hire-purchase.asp|website=Investopedia|access-date=17 March 2014}}
=Philanthropy=
In 2006, Kiska co-founded a non-profit charitable organization called Dobrý anjel (translated as Good Angel), in which donors help families that have found themselves in a difficult financial situation as a result of a family member contracting a serious disease, such as cancer).{{Cite web |title=Čo je systém Dobrý anjel? |url=http://www.dobryanjel.sk/viac-o-dobrom-anjelovi/ |access-date=17 March 2014 |website=Dobrý Angel |language=sk}} By 2016, more than 170,000 people have donated to this organization in Slovakia.{{Cite web |date=1 March 2016 |title=Zoznam Dobrých anjelov |url=http://www.dobryanjel.sk/zoznam-dobrych-anjelov/ |access-date=9 August 2016 |website=Dobrý anjel |language=sk}} Good Angel expanded their activities also to Czech Republic in 2014, where 60.000 are paying their monthly contributions in 2016.{{Cite web |title=Dobrý Anděl, nadace |url=https://www.dobryandel.cz/en/ |access-date=9 August 2016 |website=Dobrý Anděl}}
= Tax non-compliance and legal problems =
Tax authorities accused his co-owned company KTAG (with his brother Jaroslav) of tax non-compliance and under-payments, regarding expenses for his presidential campaign. The company eventually agreed to pay the taxes and a penalty.{{Cite news|title=Kiska sklamal Transparency: Výhovorky, mal prijať zodpovednosť a ospravedlniť sa|url=https://slovensko.hnonline.sk/1025396-kiska-sklamal-transparency-vyhovorky-mal-prijat-zodpovednost-a-ospravedlnit-sa|newspaper=Hospodárske noviny|date=12 September 2017|language=sk}}{{Cite web|first=Roman|last=Cuprik|title=Kiska: Bol som presvedčený, že firma koná správne|url=https://domov.sme.sk/c/20647309/kiska-bol-som-presvedceny-ze-firma-kona-spravne.html|newspaper=Sme|publisher=Petit Press|date=12 September 2017|language=sk}}
Kiska's companies were involved in a number of tax-non compliance issues. Improperly reported income from various business activities resulted in a smaller VAT and Income tax payments.{{Cite web|title=Otázky a odpovede: V čom spočíva trestná činnosť v kauze Kiskovej firmy?|url=https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/441545-otazky-a-odpovede-v-com-spociva-trestna-cinnost-v-kauze-kiskovej-firmy/|website=Pravda|date=13 September 2017|language=sk}}{{Cite web|title=Kiska bez svätožiary|url=https://nazory.pravda.sk/komentare-a-glosy/clanok/441818-kiska-bez-svatoziary/|website=Pravda|date=16 September 2017|language=sk}} Process against Kiska and his business partner from KTAG s.r.o. Eduard Kučkovský commenced in June 2023 at District Court in Poprad.{{Cite web|title=Kiska je pred súdom. Prokurátor podal obžalobu pre zločin daňového podvodu|url=https://www.ta3.com/clanok/269270/kiska-je-pred-sudom-prokurator-podal-obzalobu-pre-zlocin-danoveho-podvodu|website=TA3|date=29 June 2023|language=sk}} He was convicted and sentenced to a two-years of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 euros (about $16,300).
In 2024, the fine was cancelled while the prison term was reduced to one following an appeal.{{Cite web|title=Court in Slovakia upholds tax fraud verdict against former President Kiska |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-former-president-kiska-fraud-suspended-sentence-73445ab3c2916f78e9de1566f76aa4d5 |date=31 October 2024 |language=en}} The conviction resulted in the cancellation of his pension by the Slovak presidential office.{{Cite web|title=Former Slovak President Andrej Kiska loses pension after fraud conviction |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-president-kiska-10a9305595d8431be1be318446f326fa |date=15 November 2024 |language=en}} Andrej Kiska responded that the verdict was the result of threats made by Robert Fico. “Fico threatens inconvenient judges with disciplinary proceedings, and fear has spread among the judiciary. I can’t explain today’s decision of the Regional Court any other way” … “I will not stop fighting to clear my name until the truth is revealed, and we are filing an appeal with the Supreme Court.”{{Cite web |last=Karolyi |first=Dušan |date=2024-10-31 |title=Kisku uznal za vinného aj krajský súd a dal mu podmienečný trest |url=https://e.dennikn.sk/4279758/trestna-novela-zasiahla-aj-do-pripadu-kisku-sadzba-mu-klesla-prokurator-aj-tak-navrhuje-pol-roka-vazenia/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Denník E |language=sk-SK}}
In his personal tax filing he did not disclose personal propagation before elections performed by his company as a non-cash income, but claimed that he paid for it. Eventually tax office confirmed he did not pay, did not report non-cash income, and his company did not report income from propagation activities but fully deducted all VAT. Remaining costs additionally decreased tax base.{{Cite web|first=Roman|last=Cuprik|title=Tlak na Kisku sa stupňuje, unikli ďalšie dokumenty|url=https://domov.sme.sk/c/20649096/tlak-na-kisku-sa-stupnuje-unikli-dalsie-dokumenty.html|newspaper=Sme|publisher=Petit Press|date=14 September 2017|language=sk}}{{Cite web|title=Kisku vyšetrovala polícia pre výdavky na kampaň, prezident reagoval na obvinenie|newspaper=Hospodárske noviny|url=https://slovensko.hnonline.sk/1025081-kisku-vysetrovala-policia-pre-vydavky-na-kampan-prezident-reagoval-na-obvinenie|date=12 September 2017|language=sk}}
President of Slovakia (2014–2019)
File:Jefa de Estado se reúne con Presidente de la República Eslovaca (28416505010).jpg, Santiago de Chile, 2016]]
File:Saeimas priekšsēdētāja piedalās Slovākijas prezidenta sagaidīšanas ceremonijā - 45452335705.jpg, Riga, December 2018]]
File:Secretary Pompeo Meets with Slovak President Kiska (46347493364).jpg in the Grassalkovich Palace, February 2019]]
In the first round of the 2014 Slovak presidential election, Kiska placed second with 24% of the vote, behind Prime Minister Robert Fico (28%). As none of candidates got more than 50% of votes, Kiska and Fico progressed to a presidential run-off vote on 29 March 2014. With the support of right-wing parties and other defeated candidates, Kiska won decisively in the second round, receiving nearly 60% of the vote.{{Cite news|title=Millionaire Andrej Kiska elected first Slovak president with no communist past|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/slovakia/10732435/Millionaire-Andrej-Kiska-elected-first-Slovak-president-with-no-communist-past.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=30 March 2014}} He took office on 15 June.{{Cite web|title=Andrej Kiska inaugurated as Slovakian president|url=http://en.europeonline-magazine.eu/andrej-kiska-inaugurated-as-slovakian-president_341202.html|magazine=Europe Online Magazine|date=15 June 2014|access-date=15 June 2014}}
Kiska announced on 15 May 2018 that he will not participate in 2019 presidential election, arguing that his departure might end "the era of political confrontation" his country faced and citing a desire to spend more time with his family.{{Cite news|first=Lucia|last=Praus|title=Kiska nebude kandidovať na prezidenta|url=https://domov.sme.sk/c/20826159/andrej-kiska-prezidentske-volby-2019-oznamenie.html|newspaper=Sme|publisher=Petit Press|access-date=15 May 2018|language=sk}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-15/eu-to-lose-key-ally-in-slovakia-as-president-won-t-seek-new-term|title=EU to Lose Key Ally in Slovakia as President Won't Seek New Term|newspaper=Bloomberg News|date=15 May 2018}} At the time Kiska made the announcement, polls indicated that he was Slovakia's most trusted politician and that he would have likely been the frontrunner in the election had he chosen to present himself as a candidate.
=Foreign policy=
Kiska supports Kosovar independence and is in favour of Slovakia diplomatically recognising Kosovo as an independent sovereign state.{{cite web|url=http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2014&mm=03&dd=30&nav_category=78&nav_id=830326|title=Milioner na čelu Slovačke|website=B92|date=30 March 2014|access-date=31 March 2014|language=sr}}{{Cite news|first=Hans-Jörg|last=Schmidt|title=Parteiloser Millionär wird slowakischer Präsident|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article126354035/Parteiloser-Millionaer-wird-slowakischer-Praesident.html|newspaper=Die Welt|date=30 March 2014|access-date=31 March 2014|language=de}}
Post-presidency
In 2019, Kiska founded the Za Ľudí party.{{Cite web|first=Dušan|last=Mikušovič|title=Kiska spustil bilbordovú predkampaň na svoju stranu. Má slogan "Vráťme Slovensko všetkým ľuďom"|url=https://dennikn.sk/1486837/kiska-spustil-bilbordovu-predkampan-na-svoju-stranu-ma-slogan-vratme-slovensko-vsetkym-ludom/|website=Denník N|publisher=N Press|date=1 June 2019|language=sk}} Despite being a co-favourite candidate for premiership, the party barely entered parliament trespassing the electoral threshold by mere 0.77% of votes in February 2020 election.{{Cite web|title=The Election to the National Council of the Slovak Republic: Summary Results|url=https://volby.statistics.sk/nrsr/nrsr2020/en/data01.html|website=volby.statistics.sk|access-date=6 June 2023}} By August, announced his retirement from active politics citing personal and health reasons.{{Cite web|first=Dušan|last=Mikušovič|title=Kiska končí. Z politiky odchádza človek, ktorý ako prvý porazil Fica – a ten sa mu odplatil vojnou |url=https://dennikn.sk/1994373/kiska-konci-z-politiky-odchadza-clovek-ktory-ako-prvy-porazil-fica-a-ten-sa-mu-odplatil-vojnou/|website=Denník N|publisher=N Press|date=8 August 2020|access-date=6 June 2023|language=sk}}
Kiska has spoken out against Russia over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supports sanctions against them.{{Cite news|title=Slovak president rejects PM's negative view of Russian sanctions|url=http://www.praguepost.com/eu-news/40949-slovak-president-rejects-pm-s-negative-view-of-russian-sanctions|url-status=dead|newspaper=The Prague Post|date=15 August 2014|access-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402052915/http://praguepost.com/eu-news/40949-slovak-president-rejects-pm-s-negative-view-of-russian-sanctions|archive-date=2 April 2015}}{{Cite journal|first=Leoš|last=Rousek|title=Slovak President Kiska: EU Must Stand United on Russia|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/slovak-president-kiska-eu-must-stand-united-on-russia-1423073916|journal=The Wall Street Journal|date=4 February 2015|access-date=2 April 2015}}{{Cite web|title=Slovakian President Andrej Kiska meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg|url=http://uatoday.tv/politics/slovakian-president-andrej-kiska-meets-with-nato-secretary-general-jens-stoltenberg-413090.html|website=Ukraine News Today|date=3 March 2015|access-date=2 April 2015}}{{Cite web|title=President will not go to Moscow|url=http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20056584/president-will-not-go-to-moscow.html|website=The Slovak Spectator|publisher=Petit Press|date=18 March 2015|access-date=2 April 2015}}
In 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, Kiska endorsed and supported SaS, which ran a group of former Za Ľudí candidates, including former Minister of Justice Mária Kolíková, following an intra-party split with Kiska's successor as ZĽ leader Veronika Remišová.{{Cite web|title=Kiska prezradil, komu vo voľbách odovzdá hlas. Strana, ktorú sám založil, to nebude|url=https://standard.sk/363921/kiska-prezradil-komu-vo-volbach-odovzda-hlas-strana-ktoru-sam-zalozil-to-nebude/|website=Štandard|access-date=6 June 2023|language=sk}}
Personal life
Kiska was married to {{ill|Mária Kisková|sk}}, an educator and politician from 1983 until 2001. They had two children, Andrej Kiska (born 1986) and Natália Kisková (born 1991).{{Cite web|title=President Kiska has a new baby son|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20578740/president-kiska-has-a-new-baby-son.html|website=The Slovak Spectator|date=10 July 2017|access-date=25 August 2018}} The couple divorced in 2001 after 18 years of marriage.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}
In 2003, Kiska married his second wife, Martina Kisková. The couple have three children, a daughter and two sons namely Veronika (born 2004), Viktor (born 2009), and Martin (born July 2017), during his presidency.
Honours and awards
- {{flag|Slovakia}}: Order of Andrej Hlinka{{Cite news|title=Pellegrini už má vyznamenania. Stratil by ich len v prípade odsúdenia|url=https://domov.sme.sk/c/23344644/pellegrini-uz-ma-vyznamenania-stratil-by-ich-len-v-pripade-odsudenia.html|newspaper=Sme|publisher=Petit Press|date=15 June 2024|language=sk}}
- {{flag|Slovakia}}: Order of Ľudovít Štúr
- {{flag|Slovakia}}: Milan Rastislav Štefánik Cross
- {{flag|Slovakia}}: Pribina Cross
=Foreign honours=
- {{flag|Austria}}: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
- {{flag|Estonia}}: Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana{{Cite web|title=Vabariigi President|url=https://www.president.ee/en/estonia/decorations/bearer/19319/andrej-kiska/|url-status=dead|website=President of Estonia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417091222/https://www.president.ee/en/estonia/decorations/bearer/19319/andrej-kiska/|archive-date=17 April 2019}}
- {{flag|Germany}}: Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- {{flag|Monaco}}: Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles
- {{flag|Norway}}: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
- {{flag|Romania}}: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania
- {{flag|Poland}}: Knight of the Order of the White Eagle
- {{flag|Europe}}: European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma{{Cite web|title=Bürgerrechtspreis 2019|url=https://dokuzentrum.sintiundroma.de/teilhabe/burgerrechtspreis/buergerrechtspreis-2019/|website=dokuzentrum.sintiundroma.de|access-date=14 September 2024|language=de}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Andrej Kiska}}
- {{Official website}} {{in lang|sk}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Ivan Gašparovič}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of Slovakia|years=2014–2019}}
{{s-aft|after=Zuzana Čaputová}}
{{s-end}}
{{Andrej Kiska}}
{{SlovakPresidents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiska, Andrej}}
Category:Presidents of Slovakia
Category:Slovak businesspeople
Category:Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Category:Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava alumni
Category:Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana