On Monday morning, the senate of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic refused to dissolve the far right Kotleba - People's Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS), thus turning down the request filed by the General Prosecutor Jaromír Čižnár. In its explanation, the court pointed to the fact that its task was to evaluate the arguments provided by both sides and that the substantiation was the accuser's task. The Prosecutor General's office based its charges on numerous prosecutions against the far right party's members. However, the Supreme Court did not take them into consideration, with the explanation that these motions are not legally finished yet.
According to the complaint, filed two years ago, this party has a fascist orientation and plans to over-throw Slovakia's current democratic regime. Quotes from the party's program for the 2016 elections were presented in court, such as: "We will impose order on the parasites in the settlements," and "We will protect people from the escalating Gypsy terror." In its decision the court stated that the party is not an immediate threat to democracy. "It is a parliamentary party, however, does not have enough votes to adopt a law," reads the court's decision.
In 2006 the only political party in Slovakia's history ever to be dissolved was dissolved - the Slovak Brotherhood or Slovenská pospolitosť had the same leader as ĽSNS - Marián Kotleba. According to the prosecutor in the case "they have learnt from that experience and are using more sophisticated language now."
Following the 2016 general elections, the party has 13 MPs in Parliament. Their leader, Marian Kotleba, was also Governor of the Banská Bystrica region in Central Slovakia from 2013 to 2017. He also ran for Slovak president this March, coming in fourth with 10.3% of the vote.
Also on Monday morning, the civil initiative Forgotten Slovakia carried out a protest called Stop Fascism in front of the building of the Supreme Court in Bratislava. "Irrespective of the ruling, we are of the opinion that speeches by representatives of the party are sympathetic to fascism and neo-Nazi ideas, and they are unacceptable for us," stated protest organizer Michal Karako. Justice Minister Gábor Gál (Most-Hid) also took part in the protest, stating that he believes that the party is fascist. As well as Gál, several Slovak public personalities also came to protest - neurologist Pavel Traubner, actress Zuzana Kronerová, activist Ján Benčík, musician Michal Kaščák, and journalists Martin Šimečka and Marián Leško.
