Nationalism and Extremism in Slovak Politics POLb1135 Slovak Politics Preamble of the Constitution •„We, the Slovak Nation, •bearing in mind the political and cultural heritage of our predecessors, the experience gained through centuries of struggle for our national existence, and statehood…“ • •„…together with members of national minorities and ethnic groups living on the territory of the Slovak Republic“ • Why so Much Nationalism/Extremism? •Slovakia as multiethnic country • •Historical tensions and legacies • •Recent development •Financial crisis •Migration crisis Hungarian Minority •Around 450 000 citizens •Concentrated in southern part of Slovakia but this land does not form a solid region • •Important issues: •Historical bondage to the territory •Once a dominating nation •Self-awareness •Strong attachment based on ethnicity • Hungarian Parties in Slovakia •Four stages: • •1990 – 1998 – cooperation of three independent parties • •1998 – 2009 – integration into a single party (SMK) • •2009 – 2021 – split and competition of SMK and Most-Hid • •2021 – integration into a single party (Alliance) • 1990 - 1998 •Coexistence: •„Hawks“ •Miklós Duray • •Hungarian Christian Democratic Movement: •„Moderates“ •Béla Bugár • •Hungarian Civic Party: •„Liberals“ •László Nagy • •1994 election – together as the Hungarian Coalition (MK) 1998 - 2009 • •1998 – Mečiar’s electoral reform against coalitions à MK transforms to Party of Hungarian Coalition (SMK) • •Participation on executive power in both governments led by Mikuláš Dzurinda • •Internal tension after elections 2006 • •2009 – group led by Bugár leaves SMK • 2009 - 2021 •Competition of two parties: •SMK •The Bridge (Most-Híd) • •Ethnic outbidding • •Most-Híd took the earlier power position of SMK • •SMK stays out of parliament • •Unsuccessful effort to cooperate • 2021 •A second attempt of full integration • •Most-Hid, SMK and a third less relevant party • •March 2021 – announcement of Alliance party • •April 2021 – 5 per cent in polls Why are Hungarians an Issue? •Primary features: •Reflection of historical issues in present time (Treaty of Trianon, Beneš decrees) •Changing intensity of mutual tension • •3 models of relations: •International (Hungary – Slovakia) •Domestic (Slovakia – Hungarian minority) •National (Hungarian minority – Hungary) • Trianon •Occasional topic for the radicals • •Relevance of the topic neutralized with entry of Slovakia and Hungary to the EU • •„Does anyone understand that since Trianon we do not have our home? Todays Hungary is not a real home even for those who live there, but it is only a „residual“ country“ •Miklós Duray, 2006 Autonomy •A topic stressed more in the 90s than in the present • •Different understanding of the word „autonomy“ and its content by Hungarian politicians • •Autonomy of culture and schools vs. territorial autonomy • •Approval of Hungarian politicians not to open this topic allowed them to participate on government after 1998 Hungarian Exterritorial Laws •„In a legal sense, in accordance with the Constitution, I want to act as the head of the government of all the citizens of this 10 million strong country, but inspirit and sentiment as the prime minister of 15 million Hungarians.” • József Antall, Hungarian Prime Minister in early 90s • • •„14-15 million Hungarians can do much more than 10 million” •Viktor Orbán, current Hungarian Prime Minister • Hungarian Exterritorial Laws •Foreign IDs (2002): •Available for „minority“ Hungarians except from Austria •Financial advantages directly from Hungary •Some SMK officials got these IDs • •Dual citizenship (2010): •Possibility to gain also a Hungarian citizenship •Slovakia adopted a counter-law leading to abandoning the Slovak citizenship •Until 2012 – about 200 thousand requests (minimum from Slovakia) • Anti-Hungarian Nationalism • •Playing with the so called „Hungarian card“ • •Various ways of usage: •Electoral campaign •Daily politics •Reactions on Hungarian political actions •Suitable way how to overlay other negative problems • Slovak National Party •Created in 1990, claims a link with historical SNS • •Radical right party: •Nationalism, xenophobia •Topics – Hungarians, Roma, LGBTI, against NATO, reserved towards EU • •Main leaders until 2012: •Ján Slota (excluded) •Anna Belousovová (excluded) • Slovak National Party •Development: •Early years – searching for identity à radicalization since 1994 •2001 – separation, Slota creates the True SNS (PSNS) •2003 – unification after unsuccessful 2002 election • •Position in the system: •Participation in governments: 1994-1998 (PM Mečiar), 2006-2010 (Fico), 2016-2020 (Fico/Pellegrini) •Since 2020 not in parliament • SNS Electoral Campaign •2006: •We are Slovaks. A Slovak government for Slovaks (name of the manifesto) •After 8 years of SMK in the government • •2010: •Higher intensity of hatred due to decline of party support •Hungarians as a threat and as an enemy of the country •Racial hatred included • • Ján Slota • • •The most visible representative of Slovak nationalism until 2010 • •Very offensive language towards various social groups •Hungary, its history, symbols and politicians •Hungarian minority •Roma minority •LGBTI •Slovak politicians including prominent members of SNS •Media •The list continues… • Slota rips into Hungarians - spectator.sme.sk The Tank Attack on Budapest • • • •Most „popular“ incident • •Occurred in 1999 on a meeting of HZDS where he was a guest • •Slota called for a tank attack on Budapest • •„We will not leave it like this, we will go in tanks and we will flatten Budapest“ http://www.morozov.com.ua/images/t80ud-01l.jpg SNS Today (After Slota) • • •The party officially proclaims to be ‘different’ and ‘renewed’ • •Leader – Andrej Danko • •Many representatives from the 90s remained in the party • •2016-2020 in government with Hungarian party Bridge • •After 2020 election not in parliament • Výsledek obrázku pro kapitan danko Roma Minority in Slovakia •Unclear proportion of the population • •Official census: •1991 – 75 802 (1,4 %) •2001 – 89 920 (1,7 %) •2011 - 105 738 (2,0 %) •2021 – 67 179 (1,2 %) • •Real estimations around 400 000 • •Geographically concentrated in Central and Eastern Slovakia • 0,73 2,88 3,77 0,54 2,14 14,68 34,5 40,76 Roma Minority in Slovakia •Very bad public image • •Associated features from the majority’s point of view: •Lack of education •Unemployment •Poverty •Bad living conditions and habits •Crimes and misuse of public money • Surveys – „Who would you not accept as your neighbor?“ Category 2006 2008 Drug addict 84,9 88,6 Roma 72,8 82,4 Convicted felon 58,8 71,3 Right-wing extremist 62,0 66,8 Muslim 49,5 54,7 Homosexual 38,8 51,2 Immigrant 35,2 41,5 Person of a different race 28,8 39,5 Jew 21,5 29,0 Disabled 6,0 8,7 Roma Minority and Politics •No relevant Roma political party • •Attempts to create such parties end without any success • •Compared to Hungarian minority: •Low attachment to the territory •Never being a dominating nation in the land • •Further reasons: •Lack of organizational skills •Non disciplined voters (low turnout; regular attempts to buy their votes) • Roma Minority as a Topic for Nationalists •Mostly stressed by SNS in the past • •Ideas even beyond the principles of democracy and human rights • •Examples: •Reservations (as Native Americans in North America) •„A small courtyard and a big whip“ • SNS campaign in 2010 http://img.sk.prg.cmestatic.com/media/images/580xX/May2010/2150962.jpg People`s Party – Our Slovakia (LSNS) •Leader – Marian Kotleba • •Emerged in 2010 • •Previous links with Slovak Brotherhood: •Electoral failure in 2006 •Dissolved in 2008 • • https://nacjonalizm.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/nasza-sc582owacja-logo.jpg?w=584 Kotlebovci – Ľudová strana Naše Slovensko – Wikipédia Ideology •Slovak Brotherhood: •Various topics •Slovak wartime state, Hungarians, Roma, NATO… • •LSNS: •Modification of the profile •Primary focus on Roma minority •Other topics rather secondary •Change after 2012 • LSNS and Roma Minority •Party`s framing of the minority: •Asocial parasites •Gypsy terrorists • •LSNS blames the mainstream parties for being passive and for keeping the majority unprotected • •Trips to towns with Roma settlements • •Kotleba’s purchase of land with an illegal settlement • Performance in Elections •Initially only minor success in national elections: •2010 – 1,3 % •2012 – 1,6 % • •Change in 2013 regional election: •Kotleba scored second in the first round •In runoff Kotleba won over SMER`s incumbent • Performance in General Elections Support of LSNS Breakthrough in 2016 Election •LSNS gained 8 per cent (more than 200 000 votes) and entered parliament • •Five times more votes than in 2012 election • •The party won among young people • •Rise of extremism or adoption of protest image? •Besides racial hatred, LSNS adopted new topics •Immigration, populism, anti-elitism, anti-EU, vaccine hesitancy • From Uniforms to Suits Zelená pro Kotlebu. Slovenský nejvyšší soud odmítl rozpustit ... http://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/15/081/cl6/FKA5d1d05_154951_773899.jpg http://t1.aimg.sk/magaziny/8drGhbSMRuiQIvZpWsGmSQ~Mari-n-Kotleba-s-ubuje-na-stavu-SR.png?t=Lzk2eDEy OjU2MHgyNzMvZml0LWluLzgwMHgwL2ZpbHRlcnM6Zm9ybWF0KGpwZWcp&h=ppcJGJ2dHaS3LJPTIXoAIQ&e=2145916800&v=3 http://i.idnes.cz/13/113/org/MLB4f713f_kotleba.jpg 2016 - 2020 •LSNS started to send patrols to trains into regions with higher share of Roma •Network of alternative media to mobilize people •Proclaimed stress on conservative values and lives of decent people • http://static.cdn.markiza.sk/media/a501/image/file/21/0191/vouQ.kotlebova_hliadka_vo_vlakoch.jpg Kotlebove hliadky vo vlakoch by mali od nedele skončiť, inak im hrozí trest If you want to know more • •From Trivialized Neo-Nazis to Parliament: Explaining the Electoral Success of the Extreme Right Party ĽSNS in Slovakia (2021) •Petr Voda, Alena Kluknavská, Peter Spáč •https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10758216.2020.1869909 • • Split of LSNS • •Change of party rules in January 2021 à Kotleba reinforced his leadership position • •Several prominent members left LSNS to establish their own party The Republic • •LSNS and The Republic nearby 5 per cent in polls • • • REPUBLIKA The Republic • •Officially claims to protect traditional, national and Christian values and to fight against corruption • •Questionable difference between Republic and LSNS REPUBLIKA Výsledek obrázku pro mazurek