Biography of Mayor Zoltán Pokorni

He was born on 10 January 1962 in Budapest. He graduated from II. Rákóczi Ferenc Grammar School in 1980. For a year he worked as an assistant librarian at Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Humanities, then served in the military as a pre-admitted colleges student in Szombathely between 1981 and 1982. He graduated from Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Humanities in 1987 with degree in History and Hungarian. His first job was at Toldy Ferenc High School, where he worked as a history and Hungarian teacher until 1994.
He was a founding member of the Democratic Union of Educators (PDSZ) in 1988 and served as the charge d'affaires and spokesperson for the organization until 1993. Representing the Democratic League of Independent Trade Unions, he participated in the work of the Opposition Roundtable. He joined Fidesz in October 1993, when he resigned from all trade union positions and became the head of the party's education policy cabinet. He has been Vice-President of Fidesz since 1994 and a Member of Parliament. He was first appointed deputy leader of the Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Party faction, then between 1997 and 1998 he led the faction.

Mr Pokorni served as Minister of Education in Viktor Orbán’s government after 1998. Under his leadership as minister, obtaining the first degree became free and institutional integration in higher education was established, the option to take out a student loan was established and government subsidies for science were significantly expanded. In May 2001, he was elected President of the Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Party, therefore he resigned from his position as Minister of Education on 15 July 2001. After the 2002 elections, he resigned as head of the MP group and in the summer of 2002 resigned as chairman and faction leader.

In May 2003, he was elected vice-president of the Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Association. He became MP for the third time in April 2006 for Hegyvidék, and in the same year was also elected Mayor of Hegyvidék and a representative in the local government of Budapest. In May 2007, he once again became the Vice-President of Fidesz. In 2010, he was elected by the residents of Hegyvidék as their MP for the fourth time and as Mayor of Hegyvidék for the second time. Between 2010 and 2014 he served as the Chair of the Education, Science and Research Committee of Parliament. From September 2013 to December 2015, he was again elected Vice President of Fidesz. The residents of Hegyvidék elected him Mayor of Hegyvidék for the third time in 2014, and the fourth time in October 2019.
Mr Pokorni is married; his wife, Andrea Beck, is a psychologist. They have four sons: Benedek (1992), Ágoston (1996), Ábel (1999), and Barnabás (2001).