Six moments that marked Andrej Kiska’s presidency

His tenure was affected by disputes with the ruling Smer party, but also some scandals.

(Source: SITA)

He entered the Presidential Palace in 2014 as a political greenhorn, facing criticism from representatives of senior coalition party Smer all through the following five years. They also called him a puppet in the hands of his advisors.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

However, ex-president Andrej Kiska repeatedly showed during his tenure that he could be very active in crucial moments, which was proven particularly after the murder of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová in February 2018.

“He took the baton from [first Slovak President] Michal Kováč in the relationship between the president and the government,” said political analyst Aneta Világi. Similarly to Kováč, Kiska tried to be a counterbalance to the cabinet and a watchdog of democracy.

SkryťTurn off ads
Read also: What do we know about Kiska’s emerging party? Read more 

As president, he wanted to help the country, according to political commentator and advisor of new President Zuzana Čaputová, Marián Leško.

The last two years of Kiska’s tenure were affected by his dispute with Smer, though, as well as some scandals including using a governmental plane for private trips to his hometown of Poprad and tax problems with his KTAG company.

At the same time, political analysts agree that his initial communication in crisis situations was not very persuasive.

Which crucial moments Kiska did face when acting as president and how did he handle them?

1. He was very critical in parliament

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Two bear incidents over weekend, an effort to revive Bratislava calvary, and storks in Trnava.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad