New issues: Slovakia - "President of the Slovak Republic"

Ivan Gašparovič (born March 27, 1941) is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since June 15, 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.

Gašparovič's toned down and non-confrontational approach to presidency has increased his popularity with many voters, and he is a generally popular president now. However, to date he has remained unapologetic about his role in the Mečiar's regime, which is generally perceived to have set back Slovakia's post-communist political and economic progress and development. Gašparovič was supported by the Direction - Social Democracy of Prime Minister Robert Fico and the Slovak National Party (SNS) an extremist nationalist party led by Jan Slota.
In 1964, Gašparovič married Silvia Beníková, with whom he has two children. In his private life, he is a sports fan, mainly of motor racing and of ice hockey, which is the national sport of Slovakia. He was one of the leaders of the hockey club Slovan ChZJD (later called HC Slovan Bratislava). He was vice-president of the International Commission of the Czechoslovak Ice Hockey Union and vice-president of the hockey team of the sports unit ŠK Slovan Bratislava.

Tehnical details:
Issue number: 469
Date of Issue: 29. 01. 2010
Face value: 0,40 €
Dimensions: 22 x 27,2 mm
Layout/Format: TL
Stamps per TL: 100
Number in set: 1
Stamp designer: Ivan Schurmann
Stamp engraver: Rudolf Cigánik
Printer: Poštovní tiskárna cenin Praha, a. s.
Print technology: Rotary recess printing combined with gravure
Stamps edition: 2 mil.
FDC designer: Ivan Schurmann
FDC engraver: Rudolf Cigánik
Cancellation design: Ivan Schurmann
FDC Printer: TAB, s. r. o., Bratislava
FDC edition: 3 200 ks

Postal Authority Slovakia