Mária Kolíková
{{Short description|Slovak politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Mária Kolíková
| office1 = Member of the National Council
| termstart1 = 13 September 2022
| office2 = Minister of Justice
| term_start2 = 1 April 2021
| term_end2 = 13 September 2022
| predecessor2 = Veronika Remišová (acting)
| successor2 = Viliam Karas
| president2 = Zuzana Čaputová
| primeminister2 = Eduard Heger
| birth_date = 29 August 1974
| birth_place = Dunajská Streda, Czechoslovakia
| termstart3 = 21 March 2020
| termend3 = 23 March 2021
| predecessor3 = Gábor Gál
| successor3 = Veronika Remišová (acting)
| president3 = Zuzana Čaputová
| primeminister3 = Igor Matovič
| alma_mater = Comenius University
| profession = lawyer
| nationality = Slovak
| party= SaS (2022–present)
| otherparty= For the People (2019–2021)
}}
Mária Kolíková is a Slovak politician who currently serves as an MP of the National Council. She was the Justice Minister of Slovakia between 2020 and 2022, serving in the cabinets of Igor Matovič and Eduard Heger.
Legal background
Kolíková graduated from the Law Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava in 1999.{{Cite web | title = Osoby, ktoré získali titul na UK | language = sk | url = http://absolventi.uniba.sk/searchTop.do?top_search_field=Maria+Kolikova | publisher = Univerzita Komenského | location = Bratislava | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220417142403/http://absolventi.uniba.sk/searchTop.do?top_search_field=Maria+Kolikova | archive-date = 17 April 2022 }} She subsequently worked as a trainee lawyer from 2002 before becoming a lawyer in 2003. From 2007 until 2010 she worked at the Mária Kolíková law firm. She later operated as a lawyer for the firm Kolíková & Partners.{{Cite web|url=https://advokatnidenik.cz/2020/03/21/novou-slovenskou-ministryni-spravedlnosti-bude-advokatka-maria-kolikova/|title=Novou ministryní spravedlnosti SR je advokátka Mária Kolíková|language=cs|work= advokatnidenik.cz |date=21 March 2020|access-date=5 April 2025}}
Political career
On 21 March 2020 Kolíková was appointed as the Justice Minister of Slovakia; she was nominated by For the People (Za ľudí). She was working on reforming the judiciary system and reducing corruption by investigating corrupt justices and improving public trust in the judiciary. Kolíková had previously worked in the Justice Ministry when Lucia Žitňanská was minister. Kolíková was one of a number of ministers to step down from their positions in Matovič's Cabinet in March 2021, in an attempt to return in a new cabinet.{{cite news |title=Justice Minister Mária Kolíková steps down |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/justice-minister-maria-kolikova-steps-down |accessdate=5 April 2025 |work=The Slovak Spectator |date=23 March 2021}}
In September 2021, after several disagreements with the leader Veronika Remišová, Kolíková left For the People.{{Cite web|url=https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/svet/nejmensi-slovenskou-vladni-stranu-za-ludi-opousti-vetsina-poslancu-odchazeji-do-koalicni-sas-29563|title=Nejmenší slovenskou vládní stranu Za ľudí opouští většina poslanců, odcházejí do koaliční SaS|language=cs|work=Czech Television|date=8 September 2021|access-date=5 April 2025}} She joined the party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) as a member in June 2022, becoming their nominee.{{Cite web|date=2022-06-22 |title=Kolíková vstúpila do SaS, strana má momentálne 255 členov |url=https://www.teraz.sk/slovensko/kolikova-vstupila-do-sas-strana-ma/642581-clanok.html |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=TERAZ.sk |language=sk}}{{cite news |title=Minister Kolíková: I had no idea how deep Jankovská's influence reached |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22389420/minister-kolikova-i-had-no-idea-how-deep-jankovskas-influence-reached.html |accessdate=7 May 2020 |work=The Slovak Spectator |date=22 April 2020}}{{cite news |title=How the Matovič government plans to deal with low trust in judiciary |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22389246/judiciary-system-in-the-programme-statement-2020.html?ref=tab |accessdate=7 May 2020 |work=The Slovak Spectator |date=22 April 2020}}
In September 2022, Kolíková resigned from the Cabinet of Eduard Heger along with other SAS ministers due to disagreements with political decisions of Igor Matovič and returned to the Parliament where she joined the Freedom and Solidarity caucus.{{cite web |title=Vládna agónia KONČÍ, všetci MINISTRI SaS podali DEMISIU! Matovičovi poslali ŠTIPĽAVÝ odkaz |url=https://www1.pluska.sk/spravy/z-domova/vladna-agonia-konci-vsetci-ministri-sas-podavaju-demisiu-matovicovi-poslali-stiplavy-odkaz |website=Pluska.sk |access-date=13 September 2022 |language=sk |date=5 September 2022}}{{cite web |title=V Národnej rade zanikol mandát dvom poslancom |url=https://dennikn.sk/minuta/3015923/?ref=mwat |website=Denník N |access-date=19 September 2022 |language=sk|date=19 September 2022}} She was replaced in her role of Minister of Justice by Viliam Karas.{{cite news |title=Prezidentka vymenovala nových ministrov Hirmana, Karasa a Káčera |language=sk |url=https://domov.sme.sk/c/23007730/ministri-novi-vlada-caputova-hirman-karas-kacer-heger.html |accessdate=5 April 2025 |work=sme.sk |date=13 September 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{SlovakMinisterJustice}}
{{Government of Slovakia 2021|state=autocollapse}}
{{Government of Slovakia 2020}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolíková, Mária}}
Category:Justice ministers of Slovakia
Category:Female justice ministers
Category:Women government ministers of Slovakia
Category:People from Dunajská Streda
Category:Comenius University alumni
Category:Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2020–2023
Category:Women members of the National Council (Slovakia)
Category:Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2023–2027