Slovakia (political party) explained

Slovakia Movement
Chairman:Igor Matovič
General Secretary:Július Jakab[1]
Headquarters:Zámocká 6873/14, 81101 Bratislava
Country:Slovakia
Founder:Igor Matovič
Native Name:Hnutie Slovensko
National:OĽaNO and Friends[2]
Slogan:"We will not sell you to the mafia" (2023)[3]
Seats1 Title:National Council
Seats2 Title:European Parliament
Seats3 Title:Regional governors
Seats4 Title:Regional deputies
Split:Freedom and Solidarity
Membership Year:2022
Membership: 61[4]
Leader1 Title:Parliamentary caucus leader
Leader1 Name:Michal Šipoš
Seats5 Title:Mayors
Seats6 Title:Local councillors

Slovakia (Slovak: Slovensko), known as Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (Slovak: Obyčajní ľudia a nezávislé osobnosti, OĽANO) until 2023, is a conservative political party in Slovakia. Founded in 2011 by former businessman Igor Matovič, the party has been characterized primarily as populist, championing anti-corruption, anti-elitist and anti-establishment sentiments.[5]

The party served as the parliamentary opposition during two electoral terms: 2012–2016 and 2016–2020. In 2020, it emerged victorious in the parliamentary election and subsequently formed a coalition government. In government, the party advocated for conservative, familistic policies through the implementation of expanded social welfare and pro-natalist measures, while concurrently opposing the promotion of LGBT and reproductive rights.

In the 2016 and 2020 parliamentary election, the party integrated members of several minor parties within its list, not legally forming a coalition to avoid the imposed increased electoral threshold.

History

The initial four Ordinary People (OĽaNO) MPs were Igor Matovič, Erika Jurinová, Martin Fecko, Jozef Viskupič. OĽaNO sat in the National Council with Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), and signed an agreement with SaS that its members could not cross the floor to another group. In June and July 2010,[6] it was rumoured that OĽaNO would refuse to back the programme of the new centre-right coalition,[7] which included Freedom and Solidarity, and whose majority depended on Ordinary People.[8]

In August 2010, Matovič said that it was not the right time to become an independent party.[8] However, on 28 October 2011, Ordinary People filed a formal party registration, while Matovič announced that the party would compete in 2012 parliamentary election as a separate electoral list, of independents and representatives of the Civic Conservative Party and the Conservative Democrats.[9] In the 2012 election, the party came in third place overall, winning 8.55% of the vote and 16 seats.[10]

In the 2014 European elections, OĽaNO came in fourth place nationally, receiving 7.46% of the vote and electing 1 MEP.[11]

In the 2016 parliamentary election, Ordinary People ran in alliance with New Majority. They received 11.02% votes in Slovakia and consequently 19 MPs in the Slovak Parliament, 17 of whom came from Ordinary People.

In 2014–2019, the party was member of European Parliament group of European Conservatives and Reformists and in 2019 switched to the European People's Party group.

At the February 2020 parliamentary election, the Party received 25.0% of the vote, winning a 53 of 150 seats in the National Council. Party leader Igor Matovič was appointed as the Prime Minister designate.

On 25 October 2023, the party changed its name to Slovakia.[12]

Ideology and platform

Initially a big tent populist party, it eventually adopted a generally conservative outlook while maintaining its anti-corruption and anti-elitist rhetoric.[13] [14] Although conservative voices were always present in OĽaNO, their influence became significant after the 2020 parliamentary election.[15] [16] Party leader Igor Matovič endorsed the 2015 Slovak referendum initiated by Alliance for Family, voting against the introduction of same-sex marriages, adoptions and compulsory sex education in state schools.[17] Before the last election, Matovič announced that his party would not join a coalition government that wanted to establish civil unions or loosen drug policy.[18] At the same time, Christian Union merged into the party, presenting bills restricting abortions with major party support.[19] [20]

OĽaNO lacks any internal democratic structures, and Matovič decides on the composition of the electoral list, admission of members and political nominations.[21] [22] [23] The use of public subsidies for the party is considered non-transparent and similar to a private company rather than a political entity.[22] OĽaNO claimed to have 50 members as of 31 December 2021.[24]

It has been described as a valence populist party.[25]

Election results

National Council

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities, (OĽaNO)

The party integrated Civic Conservative Party and Conservative Democrats of Slovakia members within its list; however, both parties withdrew from the list prior to the election due to a dispute with OĽaNO.

!Election!Leader!Votes!%!Rank!Seats!+/–!Status
2012Igor Matovič218,5373rd

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities–NOVA, (OĽaNO–NOVA)

The party legally changed its name before the election to integrate NOVA and Change from Below members within its list.

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities–NOVA–Christian Union–Change from Below, (OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ)

The party legally changed its name before the election to integrate NOVA, Christian Union and Change from Below members within its list.

OĽaNO and Friends: Ordinary People, Independent Candidates, NOVA, Free and Responsible, Pačivale Roma, Magyar Szívek

The party legally changed its name before the election to represent its internal factions and to integrate NOVA members within its list.

!Election!Leader!Votes!%!Rank!Seats!+/–!Status
2023Igor MatovičOĽaNO–Christian Union–For the People 40

European Parliament

ElectionList leaderVotes%RankSeats+/–EP Group
2014Jozef Viskupič41,8294thECR
2019Michal Šipoš51,8346th 0EPP
2024Peter Pollák29,3859th 1

Presidential

Election! rowspan="2"
CandidateFirst roundSecond round
Votes%RankVotes%Rank
2014Helena Mezenská45,1807thEndorsed Andrej Kiska
Endorsed Andrej Kiska1,307,065
2019Endorsed
Zuzana Čaputová
870,4151st1,056,582
2024Igor Matovič49,2015thEndorsed Ivan Korčok
Endorsed
Patrik Dubovský
16,1077th
Endorsed Ivan Korčok1,243,709

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Predsedníctvo. OĽaNO. sk.
  2. Web site: Voľby do NR SR 2023: kandidátne listiny v lehote určenej zákonom predložilo 24 politických strán a 1 koalícia. 3 July 2023.
  3. Web site: Kandidátna listina koalície OĽANO a priatelia, Kresťanská únia, Za ľudí. 6 July 2023.
  4. Web site: Výročná správa za rok 2022. Ministry of the Interior (Slovakia). 7. sk. 2023.
  5. News: Analysis Voters want Slovakia's incoming government to end corruption. That will be tough. The Washington Post. 2023-04-26 . 0190-8286.
  6. News: SaS chairman speaks about its new MPs from the Ordinary People civic association . Zuzana . Vilikovská . . 15 June 2010 .
  7. News: 'Ordinary Man' MP Matovič accuses Fico of lying . Zuzana . Vilikovská . . 5 August 2010 .
  8. News: SaS: Ordinary People faction will give up their parliamentary seats if they leave SaS caucus . Zuzana . Vilikovská . . 3 August 2010 .
  9. Web site: The Visegrad Group: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - Ordinary People files request to be registered as political party in Slovakia. TASR. 28 October 2011. visegradgroup.eu.
  10. https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/03/slovakias-election Slovakia turns left
  11. Web site: Elections to the European Parliament 2014 . 2014-05-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140528053354/http://ep2014.statistics.sk/EP-dv/Tabulka3_en.html . 2014-05-28 .
  12. Web site: 2023-10-25 . Hnutie OĽaNO opäť zmenilo názov, bude sa volať Slovensko . 2024-02-04 . Pravda.sk . sk-SK.
  13. Web site: Mení Matovič s OĽaNO svoju protikorupčnú tvár? Jasná odpoveď politológa | TVNOVINY.sk . 11 August 2022 .
  14. Web site: Matovič chce z OĽaNO konzervatívnu stranu. Pre KDH má ponuku, ktorú nemôžu odmietnuť .
  15. Web site: Zmena identity OĽaNO: Zmení sa protikorupčné hnutie na konzervatívne? . 3 March 2020 .
  16. Web site: Konzervatívne OĽaNO: Poslancom bude hovorca referenda aj gospelový spevák . 5 March 2020 .
  17. Web site: VIDEO: Igor Matovič hlasoval v Trnave s manželkou a deťmi . 7 February 2015 .
  18. Web site: OĽaNO nevstúpi do koalície, ktorá rieši drogy a registrované partnerstvá .
  19. Web site: Záborská z Kresťanskej únie: Máme s Matovičom dohodu, že v parlamente si vlastný klub nevytvoríme . 2 March 2020 .
  20. Web site: Nicholsonová kritizuje poslancov Kresťanskej únie za tému potratov, tí pripravujú návrh . 22 May 2020 .
  21. Web site: OĽaNO je za štruktúry bez straníckej knižky, Matovič v ringu "bojoval" bez priaznivcov Smeru . 19 May 2018 .
  22. Web site: Kto zarába na OĽaNO. Štát a verejnosť vedia veľmi málo o tom, ako strany míňajú svoje peniaze . 23 April 2021 .
  23. Web site: Stanovy .
  24. Web site: 2021 . Výročná správa politickej strany: OĽaNO . . 7 . sk.
  25. Zulianello . Mattia . Larsen . Erik Gahner . June 2021 . Populist parties in European Parliament elections: A new dataset on left, right and valence populism from 1979 to 2019 . . 71 . 1 . 10-12 . 10.1016/j.electstud.2021.102312 . 0261-3794.