Born on September 9, 1950 in Szolnok. In 1974 he graduated from the University of Chemistry of Veszprém in system engineering and subsequently in 1977 he earned his university doctorate degree. In 1985 he started working for the municipality of Veszprém, where he became Deputy President.  

In October 1989 he was elected to be the first president of the county organisation of MSZP  

(Hungarian Socialist Party). He has been a member of the national board of MSZP since 1990 and the Deputy President of the party since 2004.  

He has been Member of Parliament since 1994, representing Jászapáti (Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County constituency no. 2) as an individual representative between 1994 and 2002 and once again from 2006. He was head of the Parliamentary faction of MSZP between 1994 and 1998.  

He was the political state secretary of general affairs of the Prime Minister?s Office between 2002 and 2004. From June 2006 he had been the head of the Ministry of Defence. 

He is married with two children.