Beblavy and Mihal's Party to Be Named 'Together - Civic Democracy'

Beblavy and Mihal's Party to Be Named 'Together - Civic Democracy'

Bratislava, September 12 (TASR) – The party that is being set up by Independent MPs Jozef Mihal and Miroslav Beblavy is to be called ‘Together – Civic Democracy’ (‘SPOLU’, or ‘Together’ in Slovak), TASR learnt on Tuesday.

The drive to collect the signatures from the public that are needed to register the party will begin on November 17, the day marking the fall of Communism. Meanwhile, the Facebook profile and website of the nascent party are already up and running.

“We’ll have an initial meeting at which we’ll commemorate November 17, present ideas and people, and start collecting signatures,” said Beblavy, adding that SPOLU will claim allegiance to the legacy of November 1989.

“We’re a political party that subscribes to the ideas of democracy, human rights, the European Union and a market economy with strong social underpinnings,” said Beblavy, adding that he hopes that his party can work together with Progressive Slovakia, another party in the works.

The name conveys the determination of the party’s founders to bring together decent, competent and dependable people. “We can only change Slovakia together,” said Beblavy.
Beblavy (formerly of the Siet party, which has imploded and faded away from Parliament) and Mihal (former labour minister for the Freedom and Solidarity party) announced their plan to set up a new party in April. Back then, they were joined by another five Independent MPs – Katarina Machackova, Zuzana Zimenova, Simona Petrik (previously of Siet) and Viera Dubacova and Oto Zarnay (previously with OLaNO-NOVA).