Ľudovít Ódor

Ľudovít Ódor was born into an ethnically Hungarian family in the village of Veľké Kosihy (Hungarian: Nagykeszi), near Komárno, on 2 July 1976.^[5][6] He finished his secondary studies at the Hungarian-language Selye János Gymnasium in his hometown.^[7] He attended Comenius UniversityinBratislava, graduating in 1999 with a master's degree in mathematics and management.^[8] In addition to his native Hungarian,^[9] he speaks Slovak and English fluently.^[5]

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.^[10]

In February 2018 Ódor became vice-governor of the National Bank of Slovakia,^[11] following a nomination by Most–Híd.^[12] He is a co-founder of the Institute for Financial Policy, which he managed from 2003 to 2005,^[12] 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.^[10] He is also a member of the study council of the Hungarian College for Advanced Studies in Bratislava (PMSZ).^[13]

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.^[12]

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.^[10][11] Ódor and his cabinet, picked by President Zuzana Čaputová, were inaugurated on 15 May.^[2] 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.^[14] 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.

According to his website, Ódor believes in pragmatism and evidence-based economics.^[10]

Ódor is married and the father of two children.^[15]

• 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.

• Official website (in Slovak)