Danko: Kotleba Unacceptable, LSNS Should Be Barred from Election
Bratislava, November 20 (TASR) – Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko on Wednesday vehemently rejected any potential pre- or post-election cooperation with Marian Kotleba’s far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia (LSNS).
Danko also intimated that LSNS’s decision to change its official name from ‘Kotleba-People’s Party Our Slovakia’ to ‘Kotlebaites-People’s Party Our Slovakia’ might fly in the face of current legislation, as under the new Political Parties Act the party’s name mustn’t include the first names or surnames of its statutory representatives. LSNS thus might not be allowed to run in the 2020 general election.
“Kotleba is unacceptable for me,” emphasised Danko, who claimed that if he were to engage in any cooperation with LSNS, he wouldn’t even be allowed to attend certain meetings in Russia, as Kotleba is politically unacceptable for both East and West.
Danko also stated at the press conference that some parties are attempting to circumvent the name-related legislation, and he’s waiting to see how the Interior Ministry will respond. “I’d like to point to the problem surrounding the name ‘Kotlebaites’. The Interior Ministry should call on the party to rename itself. As the election campaign is already under way, however, and renaming the party isn’t possible, there’s only one penalty left under the law. I’m curious to see whether the Interior Ministry will muster up the courage to call out the ‘Kotlebaites’,” he added.
Danko hinted that the ministry shouldn’t register the new party’s name, which would mean that LSNS would be barred from running in the 2020 race.