The 2023 Slovak parliamentary election takes place on September 30. (source: TASR)
Voters in Slovakia will go to the polls on Saturday September 30 to elect its next parliament.
The latest polls suggest that Smer or Progresívne Slovensko could win the Saturday election.
To help readers understand what these and other parties stand for, The Slovak Spectator prepared their short profiles in collaboration with MEMO 98, an international organisation that specialises in media monitoring.
Here are brief profiles of the Slovak political parties that have a chance to win parliamentary seats on September 30: Smer, Progresívne Slovensko, Hlas, Republika, OĽaNO, SaS, SNS, KDH, Sme Rodina, Demokrati.
Smer
Smer leader and former three-time PM Robert Fico. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Smer was registered in November 1999, and originally profiled as a third-way party. Later, it moved towards the left and started focusing on social democracy, gradually becoming a dominant player on the political spectrum’s left wing. In 2004, it merged with three other left-wing parties which were polling low levels of voter support.
Smer has been led by Robert Fico since its founding and it has had MPs in parliament since the 2002 election. The party has been part of three governments: in the years 2006-2010, 2012-2016 (a one-party government, garnering historically the highest vote share for a party in a parliamentary election – 44.41 percent of the vote), and 2016-2020. Fico served as prime minister in all three governments, although he was forced to leave the post in 2018 after the murders of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová; he was replaced by Peter Pellegrini (now Hlas).
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
Progresívne Slovensko
European Parliament Vice-President and PS leader Michal Šimečka. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Progresívne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia; PS) was registered in November 2017, aiming to present progressive solutions to social problems, and connect like-minded people.
The party failed to make it into parliament in the 2020 general election. It won 6.96 percent of the vote, but needed to pass a 7-percent threshold as it ran in a coalition with the Spolu (Together) party.
PS is currently led by Michal Šimečka, who became the first Slovak to be elected European Parliament vice president in 2022.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
Hlas
Hlas leader and ex-PM Peter Pellegrini. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Hlas, registered in September 2020, was established by former Smer politicians who left the party only a few months after the parliamentary election. It profiles itself as a social democratic party that wants to be the voice of the working people, weaker people, the ill, anybody who needs help, young families and seniors, as well as the voice of Slovak regions.
It is headed by Peter Pellegrini, who served as prime minister in 2018-2020, replacing Robert Fico.
In the last local and regional elections in 2022, the party, alone and in various coalitions, won the most mandates for mayors (649, alone 267) and councillors (2,700, alone 2,068) of all parties.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
Republika
MEP and Republika leader Milan Uhrík. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Republika originated from another party registered in 2002. Since then, the movement has reprofiled several times. The last change came in March 2021, when it was taken over by people who had left the far-right Kotleba – People’s Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS). It profiles itself as a national conservative and nationalist political movement.
The party is led by MEP Milan Uhrík. Despite his claim that the party is not simply ĽSNS under a different name, several commentators have pointed out that all of the leading representatives also held top posts in the ĽSNS.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
OĽaNO
OĽaNO leader Igor Matovič. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Obyčajní Ľudia (Ordinary People and Independent Personalities; OĽaNO) was registered in November 2011. It has been led by Igor Matovič since it was founded.
The party has been in parliament since 2012. It managed to defeat Smer in 2020, winning the general election with 25.02 percent of the vote. Matovič became prime minister, but was replaced by his then party colleague, Eduard Heger, in April 2021.
In the 2023 parliamentary election, OĽaNO is running in a coalition with the Christian Union (led by Anna Záborská) and Za Ľudí (led by Veronika Remišová), which is officially named OĽaNO and Friends. Its election leader is Erika Jurinová, current governor of the Žilina Region.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
SaS
SaS leader Richard Sulík. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Sloboda a Solidarita (Freedom and Solidarity; SaS) was registered in February 2009. It profiles as a liberal centre-right party presenting itself as Eurorealistic or mildly Eurosceptic.
It has been led by Richard Sulík since it was established.
SaS has been in parliament since 2010. The party has been part of two coalitions: in 2010-2012, and again in 2020-2023.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
SNS
SNS leader Andrej Danko. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Slovenská Národná Strana (Slovak National Party; SNS) was established in March 1990. It claims allegiance to the legacy of the historic Slovak National Party which was active between 1871-1938, and has a policy emphasis on national and conservative ideas. It often supports pro-Russian narratives and rejects integration and liberal democracy.
The party has been led by Andrej Danko since 2012. SNS deputies have sat in five parliaments: after elections in 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2016; it has been part of two coalition governments (2006-2010, and 2016-2020).
The party failed to pass the 5-percent threshold in the 2020 general election, scoring its worst result in the history (3.16 percent of the vote). For the 2023 election, SNS has joined forces with the Život party led by Tomáš Taraba, who made it to the parliament in 2020 with the far-right party ĽSNS, and is known for ultraconservative and often controversial opinions.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
KDH
KDH leader Milan Majerský. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Kresťanskodemokratické Hnutie (Christian Democratic Movement; KDH) was established in February 1990. Catholic anti-communist dissenters and people linked to the Public Against Violence (VPN) movement, which was an integral part in the 1989 Velvet revolution, played an important role in its founding and subsequent political focus.
It describes itself as a centre-right, conservative and democratic party striving to apply Christian and conservative values in the politics of society, the state and international community. In terms of foreign policy, it profiles as a pro-European and Euro-Atlantic party supporting Slovakia’s membership in the EU and NATO, and criticising non-democratic regimes, including in Russia and China.
KDH first made it to parliament in 1994, and remained there until 2016. It has been part of three governments: 1998-2002, 2002-2006, and 2010-2012. In the two last general elections, it failed to pass the 5-percent threshold.
The party is led by Milan Majerský, current governor of the Prešov Region, who was chosen as its chair in August 2020.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
Sme Rodina
Boris Kollár has served as Speaker of Parliament since 2020. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Sme Rodina emerged from a party that had been active since 2011, reprofiling in 2015 and changing to its current name when taken over by entrepreneur Boris Kollár, who also became its chair.
The party’s representatives claim it was established in reaction to the alleged growing influence of oligarchs and financial groups on Slovak politics and public money and to problems in Europe such as the migrant crisis or the support of LGBT+ rights. The party very sensitively perceives the threats to the Slovak families from both outside and inside Slovakia. On cultural and ethical issues, it promotes conservative values, and uses strong anti-immigration rhetoric.
Sme Rodina got into parliament for the first time in 2016 and was part of the government in 2020-2023.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
Demokrati
Andrea Letanovská and Eduard Heger (l). (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Demokrati (Democrats) was established on the foundations of the Spolu party, which itself was founded in 2018 as a centre, pro-European, green party.
Spolu was renamed the Blue Coalition at the beginning of 2023, and aimed to unite the parties active on the right wing of the political spectrum. However, the Modrí (Blues) platform led by former two-time PM Mikuláš Dzurinda left the coalition. In March, the party was joined by several former members of OĽaNO, including ex-PM Eduard Heger, and the party was renamed Demokrati.
Dr Andrea Letanovská, who also serves as the party’s deputy chair, is its election leader in the 2023 parliamentary election.
Read more about the party (in Slovak): Manifesto | Slate | Web
MEMO 98, in cooperation with the Czech organisation KohoVolit.eu, runs the VoteMatch project. Its ambition is to help Slovak voters find their way around the offer of the parties running in the September 30 parliamentary election.
