The stage is now set for the March 2012 early elections with a total of 26 parties and movements bidding to take part in the race.
Many new parties have surfaced, trying to present a fresh option on the Slovak political scene, and there is no shortage of celebrities and famous sports people being recruited in an effort to increase pre-election popularity.
The most prominent of the new players include reality show star Nora Mojsejova, who held the first press briefing of her party Strana Slobodne Slovo (the Free Speech Party) last week.
Mojsejova is well known for her outspoken and crude manner of speech, and many just can’t take her seriously as a political candidate, for good reason. Anything is possible, though, and as unlikely as it is, she could just rally enough support in her hometown of Kosice and East Slovakia to get into parliament. At the press conference, she said she was “the biggest celebrity in Slovakia”, so no further comment needed.
Another curious case is that of the famous Slovak rock band Horkýže slíže, which has joined forces with members of other bands, Polemic and Konflikt, and set up a movement called Hudobná strana pre každého (Music Party for Everyone). They have allegedly taken over a previously registered political party and should provide more details today about who stands behind the party.
Lead singer of Horkýže slíže, Peter Hrivňák (alias Kuko), said they were serious about their plan, and that they would lobby to get more money for culture and education, among other things. [added 13.12.2011: as many suspected, the whole idea was just a promotional gimmick for a tour]
The following 26 parties will compete for parliamentary seats in the early elections on 10 March 2012:
- KSS – Komunistická strana Slovenska
- KDH
- LS – HZDS
- LS – Naše Slovensko
- Most-Híd
- NAS – Národ a spravodlivosť
- Náš kraj
- Obyčajní ľudia
- Obyčajní ľudia – nezávislé osobnosti
- PAS – Právo a Spravodlivosť
- Robíme to pre deti – SF
- SDKÚ-DS
- SaS – Sloboda a solidarita
- Smer-SD
- SNS
- SDL – Strana demokratickej ľavice
- SMK – Strana maďarskej koalície
- SOS – Strana občanov Slovenska
- SSS – Strana slobodné slovo – Nory Mojsejovej
- Strana + jeden hlas
- Strana zelených
- Strana rómskej únie na Slovensku
- Strana živnostníkov Slovenska
- Zelení
- Zmena zdola Demokratická únia Slovenska.
- 99 percent občiansky hlas
I note with interest a news item from the other bank ..
““The chairman of the Ordinary People party, Igor Matovič, said the first five candidates on his party’s slate have a total of 14 university degrees, which is the highest number among all party slates published thus far.““`
This obsession Slovaks have with education is madness, and because you can bribe you way to a Uni degree does not make you . a) a good person, b) a good MP .
Second ““`Matovič said he will comment further on the party slate at a press conference on December 14. ““
Perhaps Matovic will be telling us the number of arsehole he counted between all the members on his slate .?