People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia

Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox political party

Former headquarters of the ĽS-HZDS political party at Tomášikova Street 32/A in Bratislava

The Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (Template:Langx, HZDS), later known as the People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (Template:Langx, ĽS–HZDS), was a populist<ref name="Minkenberg2015">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Pytlas2015">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Auer2004">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="BergmanIlonszkiMuller">Template:Cite book</ref> political party in Slovakia. The party is commonly considered as having been authoritarian and illiberal.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

During 1992–1998, HDZS was the leading party of the government, led by Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar. The party rule was characterized by a fundamental violation of civil liberties, rule of law and a halt to post-communist economic reforms, and European integration.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After the 1998 parliamentary election, the party remained in opposition for two terms still as the strongest party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In opposition, HZDS moved its positions from Euroscepticism to pro-Europeanism and joined European Democratic Party, although it did not profess EDP's liberal ideology.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the 2006 parliamentary election, the party dropped to 5th place and became a junior partner in the Fico's First Cabinet.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the 2010 parliamentary election the party did not exceed the electoral threshold narrowly for the first time, and this was repeated in 2012, when it won less than 1%.^{{{#if:|{{{2}}}|[1]}}}^{{{#if:|{{{2}}}|[2]}}} In 2014, HZDS officially dissolved and designated the Party of Democratic Slovakia as the successor.^{{{#if:|{{{2}}}|[3]}}}

HistoryEdit

Velvet RevolutionEdit

The party was created as a Slovak nationalist faction of Public Against Violence (VPN), from which it seceded at an extraordinary VPN congress on 27 April 1991.<ref>Archleb Gály (2006), p. 534</ref> Called 'Movement for a Democratic Slovakia' (HZDS), it was led by Vladimír Mečiar, who had been deposed as Slovak Prime Minister a month earlier, and composed mostly of the VPN's cabinet members. The HZDS claimed to represent Slovak national interest, and demanded a more decentralised Czechoslovak confederation. On 7 May 1992, the HZDS voted for a declaration of independence, but this was defeated 73-57.<ref>Bartl (2002), p. 171</ref>

At the first election in which it took part, on 5–6 June, the HZDS won an overwhelming victory, with 74 seats on the National Council: two short of an absolute majority. Mečiar was appointed prime minister on 24 June. Whereas the HZDS wanted a confederation, the Czech elections on the same day were won by Civic Democratic Party, which preferred a tighter federation. Recognising that these positions were irreconcilable, the National Council voted for Slovakia's Declaration of Independence by 113 votes to 24,<ref>Bartl (2002), p. 173</ref> and Mečiar concluded formal negotiations over the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

Dominant partyEdit

The party adopted an economically populist position,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and sought to slow the post-Soviet privatisation and liberalisation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In the first elections after independence, in late 1994, the HZDS retained its dominant position, winning 58 seats (the Peasant's Party of Slovakia won a further 3 on its list).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Decline in oppositionEdit

Originally designating itself as a centre-left party, the party moved towards the mainstream right and, in March 2000, renamed itself the 'People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia' (ĽS-HZDS) to try to achieve membership of the European People's Party (EPP).<ref name="Szczerbiak 285">Szczerbiak et al (2008), p. 285</ref> However, lingering memories of former anti-Europeanism, conflicting rhetoric,<ref name="Szczerbiak 285" /> and the presence of three Slovak parties already in the EPP prevented this.<ref name="Henderson 4">Henderson (2009), p. 4</ref> The ĽS-HZDS then looked to the Euro-integrationist European Democratic Party,<ref name="Henderson 4" /> which it joined in 2009.

The build-up to the 2002 election saw Mečiar exclude a number of prominent members from the party's list of candidates. Several of the excluded members, led by Ivan Gašparovič, split from the party and founded the similarly titled Movement for Democracy (HZD). The new party won 3.3% of the vote, eating significantly into the ĽS-HZDS's position, and contributing to it winning only 36 seats. By 2006, further divisions and splits had reduced it to only 21 MPs.

Back in governmentEdit

In the parliamentary election of 17 June 2006, the party won 8.8% of the popular vote and 15 out of 150 seats.

Two ĽS-HZDS ministers were sworn in with the Robert Fico government on July 4, 2006:

Štefan Harabin (deputy prime minister; minister of justice);
Miroslav Jureňa (minister of agriculture).

In the 2010 election the party lost all its seats, after its share of the vote halved to below the 5% threshold for entering parliament.

Election resultsEdit

National CouncilEdit

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Rank	Seats	+/–	Status
1992	Vladimír Mečiar	1,148,625	Template:Percentage bar	1st	Template:Composition bar		Template:Yes2
1992		1,148,625	Template:Percentage bar	1st	Template:Composition bar		Template:No2
1994		1,005,488	Template:Percentage bar	1st	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 16	Template:Yes2
1994		In coalition with the Peasants' Party of Slovakia, which won 61 seats in total.
1998		907,103	Template:Percentage bar	1st	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 15	Template:No2
2002		560,691	Template:Percentage bar	1st	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 7	Template:No2
2006		202,540	Template:Percentage bar	5th	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 21	Template:Yes2
2010		109,480	Template:Percentage bar	8th	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 15	Template:No
2012		23,772	Template:Percentage bar	13th	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady 0	Template:No

European ParliamentEdit

Year	Vote	Vote %	Seats	Place
2004	119,582	17.04	Template:Composition bar	2nd
2009	74,241 Template:Decrease	8.97 Template:Decrease	Template:Composition bar	5th Template:Decrease

PresidentialEdit

Election year	Candidate	1st round		2nd round
Election year	Candidate	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall votes	% of overall vote
1999	Vladimír Mečiar	1,097,956	37.24% (#2)	1,293,642	42.82% (#2)
2004	Vladimír Mečiar	650,242	32.74% (#1)	722,368	40.09% (#2)
2009	Milan Melník	45,985	2.45% (#5)	Supported Ivan Gašparovič