Emília Kováčová (8 February 1931 – 31 December 2020) was a Slovak

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and professor of

employment Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

and

social development Social development can refer to: * Psychosocial development * Social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Sustained at ...

at the

University of Economics in Bratislava The Bratislava University of Economics and Business () is the oldest university of economics in Slovakia. History The university was established in 1940 as a private university under the name Vysoká obchodná škola v Bratislave (College of Co ...

. She served as the country's first

first lady of Slovakia First lady of slovakia or first gentleman of Slovakia ( in Slovak language, Slovak) is the title attributed to the wife or husband of the president of Slovakia. The country's current first gentleman is Juraj Rizman, partner of President Zuzana Č ...

from 1993 until 1998. Kováčová's husband,

Michal Kováč Michal Kováč (3 August 1930 – 5 October 2016) was the first president of Slovakia, having served from 1993 through 1998. Early life Kováč was born in the village of Ľubiša in then Czechoslovakia in 1929. He then graduated from the p ...

, became the first

President of Slovakia The president of the Slovak Republic () serves as the head of state of Slovakia and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The people directly elect the president for five years, for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The presidency is essent ...

upon the

dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the Self-determination, self-determined Partition (politics), partition of the federal republic of Fifth Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia into the independent ...

in 1993. Emília Kováčová, likewise, became the first First Lady in Slovakia's history. Kováčová created and established the

protocols Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

for the new office of the First Lady. She also oversaw the restoration of

Grassalkovich Palace The Grassalkovich Palace (, Hungarian: ''Grassalkovich-palota'') is a palace in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the residence of the President of Slovakia. It is situated on Hodžovo Square, near the Episcopal Summer Palace. The building is a Rococo ...

, the country's

presidential palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

, during the 1990s while continuing to live at the Kováčs private home. She continued to teach economics during her tenure. In a 1998 interview with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', Kováčová noted that she admired then-

U.S. First Lady First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

. Kováčová continued to teach at the

after leaving office in 1998. She also focused on her foundation, established during her tenure as first lady, which worked to help the elderly and improve educational opportunities in Slovakia.

References

1931 births 2020 deaths First ladies of Slovakia Academic staff of the University of Economics in Bratislava 20th-century Slovak politicians 20th-century Slovak women politicians Politicians from Bratislava {{EU-economist-stub