Ľudovít Ódor

Ľudovít Ódor (Hungarian: Ódor Lajos; born 2 July 1976) is a Slovak economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Slovakia from May to October 2023, heading a technocratic cabinet. From July to October 2023, he also served as Minister of the Interior. Prior to his appointment as prime minister, Ódor served as Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia, from 2018 to 2023.[1] He was the first Slovak premier from the ethnic Hungarian minority in Slovakia.[2]

For the Hungarian rower, see Lajos Ódor.

Ľudovít Ódor
Ódor in 2023
Prime Minister of Slovakia
In office
15 May 2023 – 25 October 2023
PresidentZuzana Čaputová
DeputyLívia Vašáková
Preceded byEduard Heger
Succeeded byRobert Fico
Minister of the Interior
In office
19 July 2023 – 25 October 2023
Preceded byIvan Šimko
Deputy governor of the National Bank of Slovakia
In office
20 February 2018 – 14 May 2023
Governor
Preceded byJán Tóth
Personal details
Born (1976-07-02) 2 July 1976
Veľké Kosihy, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Political partyIndependent
Alma materComenius University (Mgr.)
OccupationEconomist, politician
Websitewww.odor.sk

Early life and education

Ľudovít Ódor was born into an ethnically Hungarian family in the village of Veľké Kosihy (Hungarian: Nagykeszi), near Komárno, on 2 July 1976.[3][4] He finished his secondary studies at the Hungarian-language Selye János Gymnasium in his hometown.[5] He attended Comenius University in Bratislava, graduating in 1999 with a magister degree in mathematics and management.[6] In addition to his native Hungarian,[7] he speaks Slovak and English fluently.[3]

Economic career (1999–2023)

After completing his studies at Comenius University, Ódor became an analyst for Československá obchodní banka in April 1999, leaving his position in 2001 to work for the Slovak Rating Agency; after two years, Ódor became the chief economist of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic. In January 2006, he became a board member of the National Bank of Slovakia and advised then-prime minister Iveta Radičová and then-finance minister Ivan Mikloš from 2010 to 2012. In September 2015, Ódor was appointed vice-chairman of the European Union's Network of Independent Fiscal Institutions, serving until October 2017, when he became a member of the supervisory board of Slovenská sporiteľňa and a member of the Council for Budget Responsibility until February 2018.[8]

In February 2018 Ódor became vice-governor of the National Bank of Slovakia,[9] following a nomination by Most–Híd.[10] He is a co-founder of the Institute for Financial Policy, which he managed from 2003 to 2005,[10] and the Value for Money Department at the Ministry of Finance as well as the independent Council for Budget Responsibility. In addition, Ódor has been a visiting professor at the Central European University since 2016.[8] He is also a member of the study council of the Hungarian College for Advanced Studies in Bratislava (PMSZ).[11]

During his career Ódor co-authored the introduction of a 19% flat tax as part of Mikuláš Dzurinda's 2004 tax reform, which improved Slovakia's image among foreign investors and set the country on course to become a European tiger economy. He also played a role in the reform of the pension system, the adoption of the euro, and the creation of budget rules.[10]

Premiership (2023)
See also: Cabinet of Ľudovít Ódor

On 7 May 2023, caretaker prime minister Eduard Heger—who led a majority in parliament until September 2022—resigned after a series of resignations by ministers who could not be replaced during a caretaker government. Heger asked the president to appoint a technocratic government.[8][9] Ódor and his cabinet, picked by President Zuzana Čaputová, were inaugurated on 15 May.[1] On 19 July Interior Minister Ivan Šimko's mandate was revoked following disagreements between him and the leadership of the police, after which Ódor took over Šimko's ministerial duties.[12] A snap parliamentary election was held on 30 September 2023, which resulted in a new coalition government helmed by Robert Fico. Fico succeeded Ódor as prime minister on 25 October 2023.

Domestic policy

According to his website, Ódor believes in pragmatism and evidence-based economics.[8]

Personal life

Ódor is married and the father of two children.[13]

Publications
  • Beblavý, Miroslav; Cobham, David; Ódor, L'udovít, eds. (2011). The Euro Area and the Financial Crisis. New York: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139044554. ISBN 978-1-107-01474-9. LCCN 2011027489.
  • Ódor, L'udovít, ed. (2017). Rethinking Fiscal Policy after the Crisis. New York: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781316675861. ISBN 978-1-107-16058-3. LCCN 2016050853.

References
  1. Stoklasa, Radovan; Lopatka, Jan (15 May 2023). Donovan, Kirsten (ed.). "Economist Odor picked as Slovakia's caretaker prime minister". Reuters. Bratislava. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  2. Zemplényi, Lili (28 May 2023). "Lajos Ódor, Slovakia's Hungarian Prime Minister". Hungarian Conservative. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  3. "Viceguvernér Národnej banky Slovenska" (in Slovak). National Bank of Slovakia. 18 September 2019. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  4. "Predbehol aj princa Harryho: Pikantná kniha premiéra Ódora ide na dračku". plus7dni.pluska.sk (in Slovak). 22 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  5. "A Selye János Gimnázium diákjai az elmúlt négy évszázadban" (in Hungarian). sziakomarom.sk. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  6. "Osoby, ktoré získali titul na UK" (in Slovak). Comenius University. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  7. "Úspešní slovenskí Maďari o svojom živote: Problémy boli, iba keď ich umelo vytvárali politici" (in Slovak). refresher.cz. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  8. "Ľudovít Ódor: Radil Miklošovi i Radičovej, zastupuje Kažimíra, o pár dní bude premiérom". Pravda (in Slovak). 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  9. Stoklasa, Radovan; Hovet, Jason (7 May 2023). "Slovakian president picks technocrat government after prime minister quits". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  10. Tvardzík, Jozef (10 May 2023). "Who is Ľudovít Ódor, the new Slovak Prime Minister?". The Slovak Spectator. ISSN 1336-0922. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  11. Czímer, Gábor (9 May 2023). "Szlovákiának már jövő héten magyar miniszterelnöke lesz" [Slovakia will have a Hungarian prime minister as early as next week]. Szabad Európa (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  12. "Interior Minister leaves post, PM takes over". The Slovak Spectator. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  13. "Ludovit Ódor". Central European University Department of Economics and Business. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
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