PS Wants Hungarian Alliance to Be Part of Political Change

Bratislava, 27 May (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) and the extra-parliamentary Hungarian Alliance party have agreed to begin a dialogue aimed at finding common ground and bringing about political change in the next general election, as PS wants the Hungarian Alliance to be part of that change as well, according to statements made by party leaders Michal Simecka (PS) and Laszlo Gubik (Hungarian Alliance) after their joint talks on Wednesday. According to Simecka, the goal is victory in the 2027 election and a victory for the opposition. "I'm positive that, just as in the past, as in 1998, Hungarians living in Slovakia, ethnic-Hungarian voters, but also their political representation - the Hungarian Alliance party - must be part of political change in Slovakia," said Simecka. Gubik also spoke about the need for change in the next election. "The citizens of Slovakia can rely on the Hungarian Alliance to help achieve this change," he said. Both leaders also pointed to shared 'civilisational values' and agreed to seek common ground on key issues. The discussions will focus on three areas. The first is the economic and regional development of southern and eastern Slovakia. Another area identified was the rule of law, justice and the status of ethnic minorities in Slovakia. The third area should be European and foreign policy, "including bilateral relations between Slovakia and Hungary and the prospect of a historic reconciliation between the two countries," added Simecka. At the same time, Simecka stressed that the discussion wasn't about a pre-election coalition. "This is a much broader debate about how to bring about change and how to make the opposition as strong as possible," he said. According to Simecka, it's still too early to talk about potential party alliances or joint slates for the next [general] election. "After the local and regional elections, or at least by the turn of the years, we in the opposition must have a clear idea about how we'll go into the election," he said. Gubik stated that, for now, his party's aim is to convince voters that there is only one relevant party representing ethnic Hungarians. According to the party leaders, no decision was made at Wednesday's talks regarding potential cooperation in the regional elections due in the autumn. ko/df