Former Slovak President Čaputová is a symbol of decency and respect, a president who appreciated and united many Romani women and men
Zuzana Čaputová's term as the President of Slovakia is over. She left office as the person we have known all those five years - noble, sincere, and able to make everybody feel, in her farewell speech, that she is here for us. We already know many will miss her, we will miss her political style, which was one of service and gave us the strength to keep going - thanks to her leadership, many of us felt that Slovakia is a decent country.
Čaputová served during a difficult period, one marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, and turbulence in Slovak politics. During her time in office, five administrations came and went. Her term began in 2019 with Prime Minister Pelligrini; after the 2020 elections she appointed Igor Matovič as PM, in 2021 Eduard Heger, in 2023 the caretaker government of Ľudovít Ódor, and after the 2024 elections, Robert Fico.
During the last five years, politics have become vulgarized and the president faced personal insults; what is unacceptable is that her closest family members had to face such insults as well.
What made Zuzana Čaputová exceptional? She perceived the point of a civil society where everybody should feel accepted. She customarily started her public speeches by addressing her audience as “female and male citizens”. That might seem like a detail, but as a symbol it is quite important, as it means an expression of solidarity from the state, the acceptance of difference, an emphasis on what we have in common. There are almost one million members of national minorities in Slovakia.
Many foreign nationals live in Slovakia, and they all have the feeling that politicians appreciate them and that they are not second-class citizens.
We lose that sense of solidarity when politicians address us as “Slovak women and men”. Čaputová perceived that dimension of the country.
The president met with people, visited the regions, was active in advocating for the rights of vulnerable groups and on issues which are often not at the center of interest for politicians. In many respects she continued the work of her predecessor, but she made progress on many subjects in her own right as well. The doors of the presidential palace were open to people who were having difficulty defending their rights, to people living with disabilities, to families with just one parent and to the members of minorities.
I appreciate her attitude toward Romani people, the fact that she did her best to show respect to impoverished people from marginalized settings, that she managed to listen to problems that seem unsolvable. She visited many communities and did her best to appreciate exceptional Romani figures and to encourage the entire community. During her term in office many Romani women and men were given state honors as a show of respect for their work.
Her attitude following the 2022 murder in Zámocká Street in Bratislava is engraved in my memory. No other politician here has ever shown as much humanity toward and solidarity with the LGBT+ community as she has.
Her firm position, clear personal stance, respect for people and humility when dealing with experts got the chance to be a point of stability in the stormy times in which we live.
We are proud of her appearances, her discretion, and her ability to always stand on the side of justice, to call things by their proper names, and not to hide behind rhetoric, including during her trips abroad.
In Slovakia, society is polarized, and only political leaders who are decent and have vision can bring people closer together, and President Čaputová is such a leader. All we can do is hope that after resting from this difficult period she will return to the life of this society – there must be a place for people like her so the rest of us can have hope.
Farewell, Madame President!
