Slovak President Andrej Kiska, who took his presidential oath in mid-June, received two framed images on Tuesday with his official portrait from representatives of TASR. Kiska came to TASR last week to sit for the official portrait that will be hung on the walls of state offices and schools across the country.
The official photograph was taken by TASR photographer Pavel Neubauer, who has produced official portraits of all Slovak presidents. “You promised me that I'd have blue eyes and thick hair”, joked the president after seeing the official portrait. Nonetheless, he said that he was happy with the portrait, even though he wasn't sure that he, as a man, evaluated his own portrait well. “I tend to trust female perspectives more, so I hope that ladies were also involved in the selection process ... and that they've selected the best possible one”, said Kiska. According to TASR general director Jaroslav Rezník, a psychologist has stated that Kiska's portrait radiates strong charisma, combined with humanness and warmth. The president was happy that a photo with a smile has been selected. “Smiling is part of my life, and the portrait will be saying that I like people”, added Kiska. Neubauer said that he took around 80 shots, of which 15 made it into the final selection process, which featured a group of both men and women.
