Jozef Ráž (politician)

Jozef Ráž
Minister of Transport of Slovakia [sk]
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 October 2023
Prime Minister	Robert Fico
Preceded by	Pavol Lančarič
Personal details
Born	(1979-07-17) 17 July 1979 (age 45) Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
Children	2

Jozef Ráž (born 17 July 1979) is a Slovak politician. He currently serves as the minister of Transport.

Early life

The son of namesake singer Jozef Ráž, he was born on 17 July 1979 in Bratislava.[1] Ráž studied international business at the University of Economics in Bratislava and law at the Bratislava University of Law.[2]

Career

After graduation, Ráž had a career in civil service. Between 2005 and 2010 he was at the minister of defense. In 2010 he joined the Slovenská pošta, where he became a board member. In 2016 the director of Slovenská pošta Tomáš Drucker became the health minister and made Ráž his chief of staff. Ráž held the position until 2018, when his name was put forward by the prime minister Peter Pellegrini for the position of the interior affair minister. Nonetheless, the president Andrej Kiska refused the nomination over Ráž's links to the former minister Robert Kaliňák accused of power abuse and ties to organized crime.[3]

Following his rejection, Ráž withdrew from public life and focused on running his catering business.[2]

In 2023, Ráž became the minister of transportation.[4]

Personal life

Ráž is married with two daughters.[1]

References

1. "Jozef Ráž mladší". Sme (in Slovak). Petit Press. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
2. Turček, Martin; Čunderlíková, Jana (20 October 2023). "Kiska ho nechcel, pozná sa s Kaliňákom, manželke nechal veľký majetok. Kto je nádejný minister dopravy Ráž". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Ringier Axel Springier Slovakia. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
3. Kern, Miro; Folentová, Veronika (20 March 2018). "Kiska odmietol vládu, ktorú navrhol Pellegrini, prekáža mu Ráž a žiada nové mená". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 23 November 2023.
4. "HNonline.sk - Jozef Ráž ml. si prišiel skontrolovať ministerstvo. Bolo to zdvorilostné stretnutie, odkazuje rezort dopravy". hnonline.sk (in Slovak). 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.