Magdaléna Vášáryová

Magdaléna Vášáryová is a Slovak actress and diplomat, prominent for her liberal anti-nationalist stances. In 1971, she completed her studies at Comenius University in Bratislava. Until 1989, she acted in several Slovak theatres, including Slovak National Theatre, and in numerous movies. She was ambassador of Czechoslovakia in Austria (1990-1993) and ambassador of Slovakia in Poland (2000-2005). She was one of the candidates in the 1999 presidential election, but did not advance to the second round of the election. From February 2005 to July 2006, she held the position of State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia. In the 2006 parliamentary elections, she was elected to the National Council of the Slovak Republic for Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party.