Miklós Németh

For other uses, see Miklós Németh (athlete).

Miklós Németh
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary
In office November 24, 1988 – October 23, 1989
Preceded by	Károly Grósz
Succeeded by	Himself, as Provisional Prime Minister
Provisional Prime Minister of the Third Hungarian Republic
In office October 23, 1989 – May 23, 1990 (&100000000000000010000001 year, &10000000000000180000000180 days)
Succeeded by	József Antall
Personal details
Born	January 14, 1948 (1948-01-14) (age 63) Monok, Hungary
Nationality	Hungarian
Political party	Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party

The native form of this personal name is Németh Miklós. This article uses the Western name order.

Miklós Németh (born January 14, 1948, in Monok, Hungary) served as Prime Minister of Hungary from November 24, 1988 to May 23, 1990.^[1] He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party, Hungary's Communist party, in the tumultuous years that led to the collapse of communism in Eastern and Central Europe.^[2]

As Prime Minister, Németh took the controversial decision to allow East Germans, long held captive by their country's communist regime, to pass through Hungary en route to freedom in West Germany. This decision is widely credited with helping to bring about the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989.^[3]

After leaving office in 1990, Németh served as Vice President of the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the financial institution established by the international community to assist the countries of eastern and central Europe and the former Soviet Union in their transition to democratic market economies. He left the EBRD in 2000 to return to Hungary.^[2] He attempted to become the PM-designate of the opposition socialist party, but was unsuccessful, as Péter Medgyessy was appointed to that role. Medgyessy later became Prime Minister.

References

1. ^ "Political leaders: Hungary" (in English). terra.es. http://www.terra.es/personal2/monolith/hungary.htm. Retrieved 18 March 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "UNDP Statement on External Review" (in English). United Nations Development Programme. http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2007/september/dprk-statement-external-review.en. Retrieved 18 March 2010. 
3. ^ Michael Meyer, "The picnic that brought down the Berlin Wall" http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-meyer13-2009sep13,0,6751343.story

Political offices
Preceded by Károly Grósz	Prime Minister of Hungary 1988–1990	Succeeded by József Antall

Persondata
Name	Nemeth, Miklos
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 14, 1948
Place of birth	Monok, Hungary
Date of death
Place of death