Ivan Korčok. (source: TASR)
After several months of delays, former foreign affairs minister and unsuccessful presidential candidate Ivan Korčok announced on Monday that he has joined the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS).
Korčok, who won over 1.2 million votes in the second round of the presidential race in April, had been courted by multiple opposition parties, SaS and Demokrati.
"I had many other options regarding what to do with my political capital. I didn't want to experiment. I want to support an entity that, in the next election and in the long term, will be a truly dominant, pro-democratic, pro-European, and a modern force that will move our country forward," stated Korcok, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
According to PS chair Michal Šimečka, who announced Korčok's joining, the latter will not be a main leader, but a part of an ambitious plan to make the party a country-wide movement with reach even beyond its current bastions. According to Šimečka, the plan is to "defeat PM and Smer chair Robert Fico, win the next election in 2027 and form the best government for the future of Slovakia", with Korčok preparing an election programme. The party has already launched a billboard campaign in the traditional bastions of Smer and aims to appeal to moderate Hlas voters as well.
By joining PS, Korčok wants to continue working in the interest of Slovakia and its citizens first and foremost, stop the decline of the country, and contribute to creating an alternative following the next election. He claims that people are apathetic and learning to cope with it.
"I don't want to idly standby," he said, adding that he wants to return the hope and trust people placed in him during the presidential election. In addition, Korčok will also cover foreign affairs and European politics within the party.
