Businessman and activist Alojz Hlina, who became well-known after stealing the Slovak state flag from Slovak National Party (SNS) headquarters in Bratislava and undertaking other types of political protests, announced that he will probably run for the post of Bratislava mayor, the TASR newswire reported.
Hlina made his announcement outside the Slávičie Údolie cemetery on Monday, August 16 as a symbolic protest against the city’s sale of an apartment building. Hlina said that he may change his mind about running for mayor if the city apologises for selling the Luxorka residential building to an entrepreneur who was supposed to offer its flats immediately for sale to their tenants. The entrepreneur did not do so, instead disconnecting the flats from electricity, heat and water supplies.
“Mrs. Neumiller was 87. She’s buried in this cemetery and she lived out her final months without water and electricity, forced to answer the call of nature in a plastic bag. This case didn’t happen in the Caucasus but in the centre of Bratislava,” Hlina said, citing this as an example of why he has decided to stand for the post of mayor. He added that he was a neighbour of the woman at the time.
“The city of Bratislava turned its back on her, and it must not do this,” said Hlina, as quoted by TASR. Hlina intends to seek support among the rightist parties.
“The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ indirectly responded by nominating a candidate with superb acting skills, but I don’t know about any political ones ... that’s Mrs. (Magda) Vašáryová,” said Hlina. The local elections are set for November 27.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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