Progressive Slovakia (Slovak: Progresívne Slovensko, PS) is a liberal and social-liberal political party in Slovakia established in 2017. The party is led by Michal Šimečka, a former Vice President of the European Parliament. It is a member of the Renew Europe group and is a full member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. PS has three MEPs: Michal Šimečka (former journalist and researcher), Martin Hojsík, and Michal Wiezik (both environmental activists); the latter left the EPP and Democrats to join PS.
Progressive Slovakia Progresívne Slovensko | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | PS |
Leader | Michal Šimečka |
Deputy leaders | |
Founder | Ivan Štefunko |
Founded | 27 November 2017 |
Headquarters | Grösslingová 2478/4, 81109 Bratislava |
Think tank | Progressive Institute |
Youth wing | Young Progressives |
Membership (2022) | 609[1] |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre |
European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
European Parliament group | Renew Europe |
Colours | Capri |
Slogan | "We create the future together" (2023)[2] |
National Council | 32 / 150 |
European Parliament | 2 / 14 |
Regional governors | 0 / 8 |
Regional deputies[a][3] | 38 / 419 |
Mayors[a][3] | 9 / 2,904 |
Local councils[a][3] | 302 / 20,462 |
Website | |
www | |
Zuzana Čaputová, the incumbent president of Slovakia who is also the co-founder and former deputy leader of PS who won the 2019 Slovak presidential election, was nominated by the party for the election, focusing her campaign on themes of anti-corruption, environmentalism, and pro-Europeanism. In the National Council, it was first represented by deputy Tomáš Valášek elected for For the People, which he left in 2021. In local politics, PS has a dominant position in Bratislava, cooperating with Team Bratislava and Freedom and Solidarity.
The party was registered as Progressive Slovakia (PS) with the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic on 27 November 2017, after the submission of 13,500 signatures.[4] The party's founding congress was held on 20 January 2018, which resulted in Ivan Štefunko being elected as the party's chairman. Štefunko views the left–right political spectrum as obsolete, instead aiming for the party to be a centrist and liberal political movement, claiming that "Slovakia is full of people who want a modern, open and European country".[5] Štefunko stepped down as the party's leader in 2019 following criticism of his past involvement in business and politics, although the official reasoning for his resignation was due to health issues.[6] Štefunko was replaced by former deputy leader Michal Truban.[7] Truban is an IT professional, an entrepreneur, and an anti-corruption activist who also favors digitalization of governance and bureaucracy.[6]
PS first gained attention in 2018 when Matúš Vallo, its favored candidate, won the 2018 municipal elections in Bratislava, and subsequently became the city's mayor.[6] After the 2019 Slovak presidential election, the victory of its presidential candidate, 45-year-old lawyer Zuzana Čaputová,[8] was hailed by international media commentators as a victory of liberalism over populism.[9] According to political scientist Michael Rossi, Čaputová's popularity is related to her appeal as an outsider amidst frustration over political corruption and clientelism among the electorate. Čaputová first gained fame as a campaigner against a toxic waste dump created by real estate brokers who were connected to the ruling Smer-SD, which led to many commentators describing her as the "Slovak Erin Brockovich".[9] While campaigning for the presidency, Čaputová focused on the issues of corruption, inflation, justice, the environment, and overhaul of healthcare, and ran on the slogan "stand up to evil". She stayed silent on the issue of immigration and open borders, which most Slovaks were opposed to, and was the only major candidate not to condemn the Global Compact for Migration.[10][11]
PS got the highest share in the 2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia, earning over 20.1% of the vote and becoming the largest party represented in the Slovak section of the European Parliament, with the Smer-SD's 15.7% and the neo-fascist Kotleba – People's Party Our Slovakia's 12.1%.[12] For the 2020 Slovak parliamentary election, PS signed a cooperation agreement and non-aggression pact with former president Andrej Kiska's extra-parliamentary For the People party and the Christian Democratic Movement.[13][14] In an upset on election day, the PS/SPOLU coalition narrowly missed on entering the National Council after finishing with 6.96% of the vote,[15] as coalitions must reach a threshold of 7% in order to enter Parliament.[16]
Progressive Slovakia is generally described as social-liberal,[17] as well as liberal.[18][19][20] The party is socially progressive,[20] holding culturally liberal views,[21] and is pro-European.[19][22] PS is economically liberal,[23] and occasionally called neoliberal.[24][25] PS also support queer rights, such as same-sex unions and same-sex marriage.[19][26] The party refuses to cooperate with nationalist and populist parties, such as Direction – Slovak Social Democracy, Slovak National Party, Republic, and People's Party Our Slovakia.[27]
The party's position on the political spectrum is nuanced, and has been debated. Internationally, PS has been generally described as centrist,[24][28][29] or centre-left,[30][31][32] and as being ideologically modelled on the Renaissance party in France.[23][24] Slovak politologist Darina Malová positioned the party on the left-wing of the political spectrum, labeling them a "modern left-wing" party; she distinguished them from the "old school" left-wing Slovak parties, such as Direction – Social Democracy.[33] Despite this, the party is generally associated with the centre-right in Slovakia, with the majority of its voters describing themselves as right-wing,[34][35] and they have an overlapping voter base with the conservative Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO), centre-right For the People, and right-libertarian Freedom and Solidarity.[35][36]
In the European Parliament, PS sits in the Renew Europe group with two MEPs.[37][38] The party joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party in November 2018.[39] In the European Committee of the Regions, PS sits in the Renew Europe CoR group with one full member for the 2020–2025 mandate.[40]
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Rank | Seats | +/– | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Michal Truban | 200,780 | 7.0% |
5th | 0 / 150
|
Extra-parliamentary | |
In coalition with Together – Civic Democracy, which did not win any seat. | |||||||
2023 | Michal Šimečka | 533,136 | 18.0% |
2nd | 32 / 150
|
32 | Opposition |
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Rank | Seats | +/– | Group |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Michal Šimečka | 198,255 | 20.1% |
1st | 2 / 14
|
RE | |
In coalition with Together – Civic Democracy, which won 4 seats in total. | |||||||
2024 | Ľudovít Ódor | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Election | Candidate | First round | Second round | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Rank | Votes | % | Rank | ||
2019 | Zuzana Čaputová | 870,415 | 40.6% |
1st | 1,056,582 | 58.4% |
1st |
2024 | Endorsed Ivan Korčok |
958,393 | 42.5% |
1st | 1,243,709 | 46.9% |
2nd |
Leader | Year | |
---|---|---|
1 | Ivan Štefunko | 2018–2019 |
2 | Michal Truban | 2019–2020 |
3 | Irena Bihariová | 2020–2022 |
4 | Michal Šimečka | 2022–present |
Recent presidential elections were seen as a crossroads: sticking with the old establishment in the form of SMER-supported EC Vice-President for Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič, or a desire for change embodied in the political novice Zuzana Čaputová from the relatively new social liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS) party.
Die Anwältin Čaputová von der liberalen Partei „Fortschrittliche Slowakei" wäre im Falle eines Sieges die erste Frau im Präsidentenamt des Landes.
Ob ihre liberale, proeuropäische Partei 'Fortschrittliche Slowakei' an ihren Erfolg anknüpfen kann, oder doch wie in den Nachbarländern rechtspopulistische Kräfte triumphieren, wird sich bei der Parlamentswahl am 29. Februar zeigen.
The winner of the EP election, surprisingly, is a coalition of two new political parties: the liberal, progressive, pro-European Progressive Slovakia and the liberal conservative center-right TOGETHER - Civic Democracy (Spolu – Občianska demokracia).
And in Slovakia, a new left-leaning economic liberal party called Progressive Slovakia was founded last year based on the En Marche! model.
Even within party ideology, Progressive Slovakia identifies closest with France's 'La République En Marche!' the party of Emmanuel Macron, which may be pro-European, but is avowedly neoliberal centrist.
Zuzana Čaputová, the candidate of the non-parliamentary neoliberal party 'Progressive Slovakia', has won the second round of presidential elections with 58% of votes.
MEP Martin Hojsík, from the centrist Progressive Slovakia-Renew Europe, said VDL's views on the climate and biodiversity were optimistic.
New political parties emerged, one on the center-Left (Progressive Slovakia) and another on the center-Right (SPOLU-Civic Democracy), both backing Ms. Čaputová in her run for president.