Zuzana_Caputova, President of Slovakia (at_the_Enthronement_of_Naruhito_1-1-e1692628467265.jpg)
Women and Adversity:
Zuzana Čaputová
First Woman President of Slovakia
Zuzana Čaputová (Zoo Zan⸍nah Cop⸍ oo toe vah) has been called the Erin Brockovich of Slovakia because of her determination to rid Pezinok, her hometown, of a toxic landfill. It took 14 years of protests, lawsuits and petitions to the European Union, but she won against a wealthy land developer. She earned the Goldman Environmental prize in 2016 for her efforts.
Slovakia, a landlocked country in central Europe, was part of Czechoslovakia from 1969-1990 and was known as Slovak Socialist Republic. The Republic became independent in 1993 and is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the southwest, the Czech Republic to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Bratislava, the only capital in the world that borders two countries, Austria and Hungary. The nearly 19 square mile country has 5.4 million people.
Čaputová is a progressive in a conservative country. She was rated the most trusted politician in Slovakia in 2020 and 2021 and has been mentioned as a replacement for NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg when he retires. The presidential post is chiefly ceremonial, but she is in charge of the armed forces and has the power to appoint top judges. In August she granted permission to nine citizens to serve in the Ukrainian armed forces in that country’s war with Russia. However, she announced in June for personal reasons she would not run for reelection in 2024. She has had several death threats, and she is suing former Prime Minister Robert Fico for the derogatory comments he has made about her.
Čaputová bio:
Born — June 21, 1973 in Bratislava, Slovakia
1991-96 — Comenius University Faculty of Law, Bratislava
1998-99 — Training in General Management – Management of Change
1999 — ARK – Mediation, accredited by Ministry of Education of Slovakia
Work History:
1999 — assistant in the local government legal department
No dates available:
Deputy to town mayor
Open Society Foundations non-profit — handled public administration and issues of abused and exploited children
EQ Klub — project manager, worked on local community development
2001-2017 — Lawyer for Via Iuris, a civic organization; campaign planning for Greenpeace
Had her own law firm
Political Career:
2017 — Co-founder of Progressive Slovakia party
2018 — Elected vice-chair at the party’s first congress; Deputy chair
2019-present — President of Slovakia
Goals:
Change the police force to be independent of political influence
Phase out coal mining and power generation to bring Slovakia to the Powering Past Coal Alliance
Supports registered same-sex partnerships
Personal life:
Divorced from Ivan Čaputa
Two daughters
Current partner is Juraj Rizman
,Learn more about Čaputová:
https://www.barrons.com/news/slovakia-s-president-caputova-says-will-not-run-for-re-election-13849b18
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/slovak-president-caputova-to-sue-former-pm-fico
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovakia-election-president/liberal-lawyer-caputova-wins-election-to-become-slovakias-first-female-president-idUSKCN1RB003
My ebooks available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com:
Honoring 23 Black Women, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists
