Marek Krajčí

Marek Krajčí
PresidentZuzana Čaputová
Preceded byPeter Pellegrini
Succeeded byEduard Heger (acting)
Vladimír Lengvarský
Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 March 2021
In office
23 March 2016 – 21 March 2020
Minister of Health
In office
21 March 2020 – 12 March 2021
Personal details
Born (1974-03-24) 24 March 1974
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
PartySlovakia
SpouseKamila Krajčíová
Children6

Marek Krajčí (born 24 March 1974) is a Slovak politician, member of the National Council and a member of the parliamentary caucus of the political party Slovakia (Hnutie Slovensko).[1]

Krajčí served as deputy in the National Council from 2016 to 2020 as Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) candidate.[2][3] From 21 March 2020 to 12 March 2021, he served as the Minister of Health. Amidst pressure from the public and political parties on 11 March 2021, he announced his resignation as Minister of Health.[4] After his resignation, he resumed his seat in the parliament.[5]

He is the founder and chairman of the board of the Christians in the City platform.[6]

Political career

2016 and 2020 Slovak parliamentary elections

Krajčí ran 2016 Slovak parliamentary election from fourth place as an independent OĽaNO candidate.[7] He received 31,781 preferential votes and was elected as a member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic.[8]

During the 2020 Slovak parliamentary election, Krajčí received 143rd place on OĽANO candidate list.[9] He received 35,515[10] preferential votes and was elected.[11] On 21 October 2020, Krajčí served as Minister of Health of Slovakia in Matovič's Cabinet.[12]

Minister of Health

In 2020, Krajčí managed to enforce a strict curfew and approve a COVID-19 machine.[13] However, the situation did not improve for two months as expected.[14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Krajčí deployed Peter Stachura to manage the reprofiling of the hospital bed pool.[15] Krajčí made sure affordable health care for people with COVID-19 by gradually sending the hospital bed pool and managing patient transfers.[16]

Together with Igor Matovič, Krajčí secured the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for Slovakia, which they welcomed together at Košice Airport on 1 March 2020.[17] This escalated long-standing tensions between the main representatives of the coalition and finally led to the outbreak of a government crisis.[18]

Personal life

Krajčí worked for over 20 years as a pediatric cardiologist.[19] He is married with his wife Kamila, with whom he fathered 6 children. They reside in his native Bratislava.[20][21]

Krajčí is a Baptist. He also served as a lay minister in Slovak congregations.[22] He is an author of various Christian music, including three albums of praise and worship and one children's album. He was also the editor-in-chief of the magazine Step of Christians in Society.[23]

Christians in The City

Krajčí is the founder of the Christians in the City platform, which connects Christian communities and various non-governmental organizations in Bratislava.[6] Among the platform’s best-known projects is its I Love My City festival, during which hundreds of volunteers help people in need, support social care facilities and in cooperation with city districts, clean and revitalize public spaces, parks, and forests.[24]

Fake Election Observer

Krajčí participated as an international observer in the local and regional elections in Russia in September 2017 and in the presidential elections in March 2018.[25] These were not official missions of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OCSE). Krajčí was presented by Russian media as a Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (Slovak Parliament).[26][27]

Stephanie Schiffer, President of Berlin-based European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), stated in a letter addressed to the speaker of Slovak parliament in connection with the 2018 mission that Krajčí "deliberately contradicted the conclusions of the observation mission of the OSCE" and sought "to misinform the Russian public about the true nature of international public opinion on the electoral process."[25]

The Office of the National Council replied that no department had been informed about this mission and that “the National Council of the Slovak Republic, nor its Office, in no way organised or financed this trip,” and therefore “the trip must be viewed exclusively as a private trip by Mr. Marek Krajčí.”

The missions were allegedly financed by the Russian side. These conclusions were also confirmed by Krajčí himself, who stated in his position: "I took part in them as an independent international observer. Not within the framework of the OSCE, but as a private person at the invitation of the Russian State Duma. The trip was financed by the Russian Peace Foundation, with which I have never had, and do not have, any ties or contacts."[28]

The circumstances, participants, and course of both missions are described in detail in a November 2021 report by the EPDE.[29]

Both observer missions were organized by Janusz Niedźwiecki, a Polish citizen and founder of the European Council on Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR), who was arrested in Poland on 31 May 2021[30] and charged with espionage on behalf of the Russian intelligence services. His arrest and the charges were part of a broader investigation by the Polish Internal Security Agency (Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego, ABW).[31][29]

Investigative reporting by T-Online revealed that Niedźwiecki[32] was part of an influence network in Europe linked to sanctioned Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk,[33] who has close ties to Vladimir Putin. Niedźwiecki was also closely connected to the pro-Russian milieu in Poland, particularly through his involvement in the extra-parliamentary party Zmiana of Mateusz Piskorski, who was arrested in May 2016 for spying for Russia.[34][35][28]

According to T-Online’s investigation, Krajčí also participated with Niedźwiecki in monitoring the 2018 presidential elections of the Azerbaijani regime of President Ilham Aliyev.[33]

Marek Krajčí was included in the international database of fake election observers of the EPDE.[25]

References

  1. ^ a.s, Petit Press. "OĽANO a priatelia - Výsledky - Parlamentné voľby 2023 - Voľby SME". volby.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Ministerstvo zdravotníctva Slovenskej republiky". Slovakia Ministry of Health. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Marek Krajčí - Minister zdravotníctva". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Minúta po minúte: Krajčí končí ako minister, Matovič to považuje za absurdné". Sme (in Slovak). Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Marek Krajci Returns to Parliament as MP for OLaNO". News Agency of the Slovak Republic. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b "O nás | Kresťania v meste | Vášniví pre Boha" (in Slovak). 7 October 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Kandidátna listina". OĽaNO (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 19 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Voľby do Národnej rady Slovenskej republiky 2016" (in Slovak). Slovak Statistical Office. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Kandidátna listina OĽANO 2020". Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (in Slovak).
  10. ^ "Voľby do Národnej rady Slovenskej republiky - Pridelenie mandátov kandidátom na poslancov". volby.statistics.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 29 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Marek Krajčí". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Bratislava: Ringier Axel Springier Slovakia. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Vymenovania a odvolania". President of Slovakia Official Website (in Slovak). 22 October 2021. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Stanovisko ministra zdravotníctva Mareka Krajčího k aktuálnej epidemiologickej situácii a opatreniam". Ministry of Health Slovakia (in Slovak). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Slovensko je aktuálne najhoršie na svete v týždennom počte úmrtí na covid-19 v prepočte na počet obyvateľov". Denník N (in Slovak). Bratislava: N Press. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Druhý štátny tajomník na MZ SR bude Peter Stachura". Ministry of Health of Slovakia (in Slovak). 27 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Štátny tajomník Stachura navštívil "červenú" nemocnicu v Galante". Ministry of Health Slovakia (in Slovak). 15 January 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Na Slovensko dorazilo lietadlo s vakcínou Sputnik V, Krajčí jej udelí výnimku". Radio and Television of Slovakia (in Slovak). 1 March 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  18. ^ Mikušovič, Dušan; Kern, Miro; Gehrerová, Rita (3 March 2021). "Prepukla koaličná kríza: Sulík žiada rekonštrukciu vlády a rokoval s prezidentkou, do paláca mieri aj Remišová". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Marek Krajčí - Bývalý minister zdravotníctva - www.sme.sk". www.sme.sk (in Slovak). SME. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  20. ^ "M. Krajčí končí vo funkcii ministra zdravotníctva". TERAZ.sk (in Slovak). TASR. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  21. ^ Černická, Lívia (22 July 2022). "Krajčí má čo dobiehať. Kollár má 12 detí, on polovicu. Matovič chváli oboch". Pravda (in Slovak). Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  22. ^ Krivošík, Lukáš. "Charizmatik v politike | Kontext je dôležitý: K debate o videu Mareka Krajčího | Postoj". Konzervatívny denník Postoj (in Slovak). Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Marek Krajčí". Naša Voľba (in Slovak). 25 July 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Milujem svoje mesto |". Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  25. ^ a b c "Details - Biased Observers Database". www.fakeobservers.org. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Международный эксперт отметил соответствие хода выборов в Удмуртии стандартам демократии". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 10 September 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  27. ^ "Выборы в Удмуртии 2017: явка, особенности и итоги". izhlife.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Marek Krajčí mal byť na ruských voľbách ako nezávislý pozorovateľ, pozvala ho však Duma | INFOSECURITY.SK" (in Slovak). 4 July 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  29. ^ a b "The Rise and Fall of a Polish Agent of the Kremlin Influence: The Case of Janusz Niedźwiecki - European Platform for Democratic Elections". 15 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  30. ^ Wewnętrznego, Agencja Bezpieczeństwa. "Janusz N. zatrzymany pod zarzutem szpiegostwa". Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego (in Polish). Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  31. ^ "Agent wpływu Rosji? Zatrzymany przez ABW Janusz N. działał na międzynarodową skalę". oko.press (in Polish). Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  32. ^ "Viktor Volodymyrovich MEDVEDCHUK". OpenSanctions.org. 8 July 1954. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  33. ^ a b "AfD-Skandal um Schmiergeld und Spionage weitet sich aus – Putin-Spion in Bundestag". t-online (in German). 25 May 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  34. ^ "Agent wpływu Rosji? Zatrzymany przez ABW Janusz N. działał na międzynarodową skalę". oko.press (in Polish). Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  35. ^ France-Presse, Agence (19 May 2016). "Poland detains pro-Kremlin party leader for 'spying'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
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