Vladimír Mečiar

Vladimír Mečiar (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈʋlaɟimiːr ˈmetʃiar]; born 26 July 1942) is a former Slovak politician who served three times as Prime Minister of Slovakia serving from 1990 to 1991, from 1992 to 1994, and from 1994 to 1998. He is the leader of the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (ĽS-HZDS). Mečiar led Slovakia to disengagement from the Czech Republic in January 1993 and was one of the leading presidential candidates in Slovakia in 1999 and 2004. He has been criticised by his opponents as well as by Western political organisations for having an autocratic style of administration and for his connections to organized crime.