Zuzana Caputová

Zuzana Čaputová, the former president of Slovakia, is the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow at FSI, effective September 16, 2024.

As a Liautaud Fellow, Čaputová is deeply enmeshed in the daily intellectual life of FSI, with simultaneous affiliations with the Institute’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, the Center on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law, and The Europe Center.

Having entered office on June 15, 2019, Čaputová was the first woman to serve as the president of Slovakia, as well as the youngest president in the country’s history. She began her civic activism in 1996, after graduating from the Comenius University Faculty of Law in Bratislava. During her studies, Čaputová worked in the local government of the Pezinok municipality and then transitioned into advocacy. Here, she closely worked with the non-profit sector on issues such as reforms of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, and accountability of public officials. 

As a public interest lawyer, she took up cases related to the protection of the environment. One of the cases, of a landfill in Pezinok, resulted in a ruling by the European Court of Justice affirming that under the EU-wide law, the public must have access to urban planning decisions concerning the establishment of installations significantly affecting the environment. For her leadership on this case, she was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2016.

In 2020, Čaputová ranked #83 on the Forbes’ World's 100 Most Powerful Women list.

In 2017, Čaputová joined the Progressive Slovakian political party and was elected as a Vice-Chairwoman for the party. She also served as the Deputy Chair until 2019, when she resigned to launch her presidential campaign.

In February 2024, FSI hosted Čaputová for an event in Encina Hall, where she joined FSI director Michael McFaul for a fireside chat, and spoke about the challenges to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe 35 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain as well as the impact Russia's war on Ukraine is having on the region.