On 25 May 2016, President Miloš Zeman appointed Rusnok as fourth governor of the Czech National Bank, succeeding Miroslav Singer. Rusnok took office on 1 July 2016.[3] His second term ended on 30 June 2022, and from 1 July 2022 he was replaced by Aleš Michl.[4]
Rusnok worked for Státní plánovací komise (State Planning Commission) and Federální ministerstvo pro strategické plánování (Federal Ministry for Strategic Planning). Before the so-called Velvet Revolution, he was a candidate for membership in the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.[6]
In the 1990s, Rusnok worked as director of a department of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (1992–1998). He joined politics in 1998 as a member of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD). Prime Minister Miloš Zeman appointed Rusnok to his cabinet as Finance Minister in June 2001. He continued as Minister of Industry and Trade in the cabinet of Vladimír Špidla; however, he resigned his post and parliamentary mandate and left politics in March 2003, after disagreements with Špidla. After that, he worked in the private sector.[6]
On 7 August 2013, Chamber of Deputies denied support[why?] to the caretaker government of Rusnok. His cabinet got support of 93 legislators, compared to 100 against, while seven legislators abstained. A majority of voting legislators was required. Following the vote, TOP 09 stated that due to a lack of support for a potential renewed ODS-TOP 09-LIDEM government, they would instead support an early election. The ČSSD and KSČM also supported an early election.[10][11] In reaction, Rusnok signaled his intention to resign the next day: "I think this result is positive, as far as further political development in our country is concerned. It will lead to the dissolution of the parliament."[12]
Rusnok supports moving the Czech Republic closer to adopting the euro. In 2014, he also backed the central bank’s policy of weakening the Czech koruna to fight deflation risks and help an economy recovering from a record-long recession.[13]