Martin Dvořák: from regional mayor to the top government post via Washington, DC and New York

Martin Dvořák started making his mark on public life during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. As a young, obscure economist at a meat processing plant in Eastern Bohemia, he played a pivotal role in establishing the local branch of the Civic Forum, a broad coalition of non-communist entities in the nation. This coalition seized control following the country's first democratic elections in 1990.

Martin Dvořák|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

Martin's role catalyzed his rapid ascent from the Mayor of Hradec Králové a regional capital of Eastern Bohemia, to holding esteemed diplomatic positions in Washington, DC, New York, and Kuwait City, and ultimately to the top tiers of Czech politics. But Martin's tale doesn't stop there. He acquired firsthand experience in Kosovo after the 1999 war and later in Iraq, following the second Gulf War, serving as part of the international reconstruction administration.

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