For a Decent Slovakia Calls on Honest People to Run in Local Elections

Bratislava, July 2 (TASR) – The For a Decent Slovakia initiative, which organised mass protests following the murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova, has voiced its support in the autumn local elections for candidate for Bratislava mayor Matus Vallo, candidate for Nitra mayor Marek Hattas and candidate for Zilina mayor Peter Fiaban, TASR learnt on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in Bratislava earlier on Monday, the initiative said that these candidates are transparent and share the same values and visions as For a Decent Slovakia.

Representatives of the initiative stressed that expressing support for certain candidates in the local elections doesn’t mean that they have entered politics. They want to remain a civil initiative that is non-partisan, but they are aware of the fact that the public could criticise them for endorsing certain candidates. “We are only saying that these people (candidates) share our vision of Decent Slovak Towns and Cities and meet our conditions. If we want our country to change, and when we call for a fair and decent Slovakia, we feel obliged to tell people how we see it,” said member of the initiative Juraj Seliga, adding that the initiative also wants to support candidates in other towns and cities who will be in line with their vision. This includes the fact that politics must serve people, and these people should take a more active part during decision-making processes. For instance, For a Decent Slovakia wants the new mayors to organise 90-minute meetings with local inhabitants once every two months.

The initiative also said that during the summer its members will travel across Slovakia, organising discussions and engaging in already-existing civil projects. “We’ll invite all honest people to start considering their possible bids for local councillors or mayors,” said Karolina Farska from the initiative.