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Life – National Party

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Life – National Party
Život – národná strana
ChairmanTibor Pénzeš
Founded4 February 2019
Split fromChristian Democratic Movement[1]
HeadquartersŠtefana Baniča 508/10, Smolenice
Membership (2022)Increase 146[2]
Ideology
Political positionFar-right
National affiliationSlovak National Party (2023–)
Colours    Blue and red
National Council
0 / 150
European Parliament
0 / 15
Website
strana-zivot.sk

Life – National Party (Slovak: Život – národná strana, Život), formerly known as Christian Democracy – Life and Prosperity – Alliance for Slovakia (Slovak: Kresťanská demokracia – Život a prosperita – Aliancia za Slovensko, KDŽP), is a far-right[6] Christian political party in Slovakia.

History

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Logo of KDŽP before 2021

The split between the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and the KDŽP was sparked by a dispute between the presidency of the party and its member Peter Molda. Molda wanted the right to life to be a condition for any future KDH participation in government, a move which was not permitted by the more liberal presidency of the KDH.[7] On the 26 April 2018, Molda attacked this move on Conservative Daily Postoj, a conservative website founded after the 2015 Slovak same-sex marriage referendum, stating "I am amazed that it is said on Christian soil that we will conclude the status quo with the Liberals again"[8] and emphasising that the KDH should be focused on "the question of life". Alojz Hlina, the president of the KDH, criticised Molda's article on 12 May,[9] with Molda announcing his intent to form a new party the same day.[10]

Alongside Tibor Pénzeš (former assistant deputy of the National Council of the Slovak Republic), Pavol Abrhan (former member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic) and Miroslav Vetrík,[11] Molda began collecting the 10,000 signatures needed to register the party.[12] By 16 January 2019, they had collected over 14,000 signatures,[13] meaning that the party was officially registered on 4 February.[14]

In September 2019, KDŽP and the Slovak National Party entered into a cooperation agreement, signing a memorandum concerning "Life and Homeland". They also expressed their support for March for Life, an anti-abortion event in Slovakia.[15] Their first contested national election was the 2020 parliamentary election, in which 3 candidates were elected on joint tickets with the neo-nazi People's Party Our Slovakia (L'SNS).[16] However, on 27 May 2020, all three members left the ĽSNS parliamentary club due to a dispute with ĽSNS National Council member Milan Mazurek.[17]

In February 2021, the party was renamed from KDŽP to Life - National Party.[18]

In April 2023, the party's former chairperson, Tomáš Taraba, and other prominent members of the party reached an agreement with Andrej Danko to run on the list of the Slovak National Party for the September 2023 elections.[19]

Ideology

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The ideology of the party is based around a fundamentalist, far right understanding of Christianity.[6] The party advocates for a ban on abortions, fights against LGBT+ rights, sexual education, and transgender care,[20][21] while also advocating for an increased support for families with children and financial assistance to the elderly.[22] It also calls for increased environmental protections and the introduction of language lessons to schools.[22]

The party was described as far right or fascist by mainstream media and political scientists,[23][6] however this was disputed by others, such as the liberal-leaning National Council MP Martin Klus,[24] who has since decided to run on the list of the national-conservative Sme Rodina party.[25]

List of party presidents

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No. President Term start Term end
1 Štefan Kuffa 15 February 2019 20 November 2019
2 Tomáš Taraba 20 November 2019 30 June 2023
3 Tibor Pénzeš 30 June 2023 Incumbent

Source: MINV

References

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  1. ^ Bardy, Peter. "Slovaks combine Christianity and science fiction". Aktuality. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Výročná správa za rok 2022" (PDF). Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic (document) (in Slovak). 25 April 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. ^ Niklas Zimmermann (26 February 2020). "In der Slowakei streiten vor der Wahl die Christen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  4. ^ "COALITION CRISIS IN SLOVAKIA" (PDF). Kesarev. 9 March 2021. p. 2. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  5. ^ Jana Vargovčíková (2021). "Anti-gender Campaigns in Slovakia and the Dissolution of the Liberal-Conservative Alliance". Central European Culture Wars: Beyond Post-Communism and Populism. Faculty of Arts, Charles University. p. 232. ISBN 978-80-7671-034-4.
  6. ^ a b c Aktuality.sk (2020-05-27). "Fico je stále silný. Aký by bol Pelleho Smer? Sú Kuffovci umiernení fašisti alebo náboženskí extrémisti? (podcast)". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  7. ^ Kyseľ, Tomáš. "Since Hlina is chairman, more than 2,000 people have left KDH". Aktuality. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  8. ^ Molda, Peter. "28 years of tactical Christian democracy". Conservative diary Postoj. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ^ Hlina, Alojz. "It will probably start in a moment. We can do it". Conservative daily Postoj. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  10. ^ Molda, Peter. "Answer to the chairman of KDH Hlina". Conservative daily Postoj. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  11. ^ Čulen, A. "A new party, Christian Democracy - Life and Prosperity, is emerging". Omediach. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  12. ^ ONLY WHERE THERE IS LIFE CAN THERE BE PROSPERITY at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 February 2019)
  13. ^ "KDH called the new Christian party supporters of Harabin". SME. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Register of Political Parties and Political Movements". Registers and Evidences. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  15. ^ "The CIS concluded a memorandum with KDŽP". Tyzden. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  16. ^ "The deputies of the ĽSNS have changed significantly. A candidate came with a scandal or members of KDŽP". Dennikslovensko. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  17. ^ "KDŽP deputies leave the Kotlebovec family". Zoznam TV. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  18. ^ TASR. "Dianie v opozícii / Poslanec Taraba premenoval stranu KDŽP na Život - národná strana". www.postoj.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  19. ^ Aktuality.sk (2023-04-11). "SNS sa dohodla s Tarabom. Aj s exministrom, podľa ktorého Danko ľudí vníma ako toaletný papier". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  20. ^ Gehrerová, Ria (2021-10-15). "Parlament bude rokovať o piatich návrhoch proti právam LGBTI ľudí, koaliční poslanci sú tentoraz opatrnejší". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  21. ^ a.s, SITA Slovenská tlačová agentúra (2023-03-30). "Taraba: Vláda si zo Slovenska urobila progresívno-liberálne laboratórium a presadzuje agendu, ktorá nikoho nezaujíma". SITA.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  22. ^ a b "What we enforce". KDZP. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  23. ^ Bán, Andrej (2023-04-12). "Dankovi ide o Život, kuffovcom o ďalší mandát a všetkým o slovenský Fidesz". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  24. ^ Kekelák, Lukáš. "Martin Klus / Môj odchod z politiky je jeden z pravdepodobných scenárov". www.postoj.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  25. ^ Aktuality.sk (2023-07-02). "Martin Klus bude číslo 150 na kandidátke Sme rodina". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
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