Major defeat for far right in Slovakia
Alliances between democratic parties and a higher voter turnout in regional elections in Slovakia have put an end to the rise of the far right L'SNS in the country. Its leader Marian Kotleba also lost his post as president of the Banská Bystrica region. Commentators voice relief but warn that the fight isn't over yet.
Debacle for Kotleba
Slovakia has shown its support for Europe in the best way possible, comments Pravda:
“The rise of the far right has been prevented. An increase in voter turnout put a stop to it. Nonetheless only 30 percent voted, not really a high figure. Twice as many voted in the parliamentary elections, so this victory must be relativised. But that percentage was enough at least to wipe the neo-fascists off the map at the regional level. Kotleba's looming new victory in the Banská Bystrica region was prevented by the highest voter turnout in the entire country and by an alliance among all Democrats. But Kotleba also suffered a personal defeat. Half of his former supporters stayed at home or voted for another candidate. The L'SNS now has only two representatives in the regional parliaments. A major debacle for the far right.”
Far right not defeated yet
It's too early to rejoice at the decline of the Slovenian far right, the Prague broadcaster Český rozhlas warns:
“Kotleba trailed 25 percentage points behind the winner in Banská Bystrica. Of his 336 candidates for the regional parliament, only two of the party's key figures were successful. However, Kotleba was always a good learner. He's won elections because he knows that the voters react to him more positively when he appears in a suit than when he sports a uniform [of the former fascist guards], and when he talks about unemployment instead of organising marches. He's never given up and he's always bounced back after his losses. ... So the current debacle doesn't say anything about the results in the 2020 parliamentary elections.”