Klára Dobrev (born Klara Petrova Dobreva, bg, Клара Петрова Добрева; on 2 February 1972) is a Hungarian

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

politician who served as

Vice-President of the European Parliament There are fourteen vice-presidents of the European Parliament who sit in for the president in presiding over the plenary of the European Parliament. Role Vice-presidents are members of the Bureau and chair the plenary when the president is not ...

between July 2019 and January 2022.

Early life and education

Dobrev was born in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

to a Hungarian Jewish mother, Piroska Apró, and a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

father, Petar Dobrev. Her maternal grandfather,

Antal Apró Antal Apró (8 February 1913 – 9 December 1994) was a Hungarian Communist politician, who served as Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary between 1971 and 1984. Early life Born in Szeged, Apró was brought up in orphanages. He arrived ...

, a communist politician, served as

Minister of Industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mi ...

in the

Hungarian People's Republic The Hungarian People's Republic ( hu, Magyar Népköztársaság) was a one-party socialist state from 20 August 1949 to 23 October 1989. It was governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, which was under the influence of the Soviet U ...

in the 1950s–60s. Dobrev holds a degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

from the

Budapest University of Economics Corvinus University of Budapest ( hu, Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem) is a university in Budapest, Hungary. The university currently has an enrolment of approximately 9,600 students, with a primary focus on business administration, economics, and s ...

, and a law degree from Faculty of Law of the Eötvös Loránd University. During her years at the University of Economics she was a member of

AIESEC AIESEC is an international youth-run, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural internships, and global volunteer exchange experiences. The organization focuses on em ...

, and at the organization's 1992 world conference she was the animator board's vice president responsible for public relations. Dobrev spent her internship at Modi Xerox (now called

Xerox India Xerox India, based in Gurgaon, India, is the Indian subsidiary of Xerox Corporation, the American printer, photocopier, document supplies, technology & services company. Originally Modi Xerox, the business was derived from a joint venture for ...

) as a marketing assistant in

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Career

Dobrev has held several government positions in the past, including Chief Cabinet to

Péter Medgyessy Péter Medgyessy (; born 19 October 1942) is a retired Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 27 May 2002 to 29 September 2004. On 25 August 2004, he resigned over disputes with coalition partner Alliance of Free Democr ...

during the 2002 parliamentary election, and vice-president of the Office for the National Development Plan and EU Support, where she served from 2002 until her husband's nomination for

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

in 2004, when she resigned. Dobrev is a

senior lecturer Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Israel senior lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured (in systems with this conce ...

at Eötvös Loránd University. She is

chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Hungarian section of the

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women advocates for the rights of women and girls, and foc ...

. Dobrev became CEO of Altus Ltd. in 2009, a development consultant company, owned by her husband. In 2019, Dobrev re-entered politics, as the lead candidate of the Democratic Coalition's

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

list for the 2019 election. With a stunning and surprising, 16.05% result for her party, better than all the surveys predicted, she was elected a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

. Dobrev was elected a

on 3 July 2019. In October 2021, Dobrev stated that she was the frontrunner in the primary election of the coalition meant to run united against

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian politician who has served as prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has presided over Fidesz since 1993, with a brief break between ...

in the 2022 parliamentary election. Dobrev gained 34% of the votes in the first round in September 2021, running as the candidate of the Democratic Coalition and the

Hungarian Liberal Party Hungarian Liberal Party ( hu, Magyar Liberális Párt, shortened form Liberals (''Liberálisok'') or MLP) is a Liberalism, liberal List of political parties in Hungary, political party in Hungary that was formed on 27 April 2013 and is led by Ane ...

. In the second round held in October, she received 43% of the votes and was consequently defeated by Péter Márki-Zay of the Everybody's Hungary Movement, who gained 57%.

Other activities

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...

(ECFR), Member (since 2021)

Personal life

Dobrev is married to Ferenc Gyurcsány,

Prime Minister of Hungary The prime minister of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország miniszterelnöke) is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political part ...

between 2004 and 2009.

Recognition

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.

References

Sources

"A Glimpse into Hungary" (PDF)
Ministry of Economy and Transport for the Republic of Hungary, August 2005, retrieved 23 November 2005.
"Interview with Klára Dobrev"
by András Lindner and Zoltán Horváth, 1 September 2005, retrieved 23 November 2005. * Edit Kéri: Kik lőttek a Kossuth téren 56-ban? {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrev, Klara 1972 births Living people Politicians from Sofia Bulgarian emigrants to Hungary Hungarian people of Bulgarian descent Corvinus University of Budapest alumni BBC 100 Women 21st-century Hungarian politicians Academic staff of Eötvös Loránd University 21st-century Hungarian women politicians Women MEPs for Hungary MEPs for Hungary 2019–2024 Democratic Coalition (Hungary) MEPs