Independent MPs Daniel Lipšic and Jana Žitňanská will establish a new political party called New Majority. To have it registered they need to gather at least 10,000 signatures whose collection will start as of Monday, September 3, the TASR newswire reported.
The politicians, who left the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) in May, believe that they will collect enough signatures by the end of October. The movement has so far only spent around €10,000 from its own resources and wants to carry out the drive as a “low-cost project”. New Majority will not refuse gifts, but they must be disclosed publicly.
Lipšic and Žitňanská say they want to introduce a new party because they claim that the Slovaks they have been talking to over the previous months are disgusted with the current state of politics.
“The time for cosmetic improvements has run out,” said Lipšic, as quoted by TASR. “The Slovak Republic must be built again from scratch. This means new politics, new economics and new morals.”
The two MPs have prepared a number of measures aimed at improving the situation in Slovakia. First of all, the long-term unemployed should be given the right to work. Yet, if they turn down a job offer, they should lose their entitlement to social benefits, TASR wrote.
The second measure focuses on support for small and medium-sized businesses. Moreover, the new movement would fight for the increase of teachers’ salaries and to double the tax bonus paid by the state for children below three years of age.
Yet, political analysts are sceptical about the success of the new movement. The establishment of New Majority might result in further fragmentation of the centre-right political spectrum, political analyst Miroslav Kusý told TASR.
“They may drag unsatisfied members out of all the other parties, but I do not think that their inflow will be somehow extensive,” Kusý said.
Political analyst Juraj Marušiak points out that the centre-right is beginning to become rather overcrowded. He also mentioned KDH MP Radoslav Procházka and his ‘platform’, which may end up as a new party as well. There are also players such as Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) led by Igor Matovič.
“And the liberals within the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) are not keen either,” said Marusiak, as quoted by TASR, discerning that the presentation of Lipšic includes a strong “anti-elite tone”, which is also present in Matovič’s movement.
“Populism is the strongest mobilisation strategy in Slovakia, and it is no wonder that Lipšic has also resorted to using it,” he added.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
