Only Candidate for Progressive Slovakia Chair Is Michal Simecka

Bratislava, April 19 (TASR) – Michal Simecka is the only candidate for the chairman of extra-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia (PS), with incumbent head Irena Bihariova running for the party’s vice-chair, TASR was told by PS communication department head Radovan Choleva on Tuesday.

The party will have a congress on May 7 in Bratislava. Simecka is currently a vice-chair of Progressive Slovakia as well as of the European Parliament.

“It has never been about one person in Progressive Slovakia, and I’m not stuck to the post of chairperson either. The war in Ukraine has made foreign policy issues crucial in the public in the near future, so I consider Michal Simecka to be the most suitable chairman of our movement,” said Bihariova, adding that she sees Simecka as her natural successor, who will lead the movement into the next election. As a vice-chair, Bihariova wants to focus on social and human-rights issues.

As the PS chairman, Simecka would like to build a movement that defends liberal values, pro-Western orientation and the fight against the climate crisis, however, which also has a quality economic, health and educational programme. “Slovakia is facing an incredibly challenging period – the ongoing war in Ukraine and the huge geopolitical uncertainty, the sharp rise in food, energy and housing prices, rising animosity in society,” pointed out Simecka, adding that, in his opinion, the parliamentary election in 2024 will be a struggle for democracy and the European future of Slovakia.