The Civic Conservative Party ( sk, Občianska konzervatívna strana, OKS) is a
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...
liberal conservative
Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by li ...
political party in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. It has two seats in the
National Council, following the
2020 election. It has also representation at regional and local level.
The OKS was founded in November 2001 as a parliamentary schism from the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. The party has relied on electoral alliances with other centre-right parties, including the
Sloboda a Solidarita (SaS),
Most–Híd
Most–Híd (, ; from the Slovak and Hungarian words for "bridge") was an inter-ethnic political party in Slovakia. Its programme calls for greater cooperation between the country's Hungarian minority and ethnic Slovak majority. It was one of ...
and
Conservative Democrats of Slovakia
The Conservative Democrats of Slovakia ( sk, Konzervatívni demokrati Slovenska, KDS) is a defunct Slovak political party established by four MPs ( František Mikloško, Vladimír Palko, Rudolf Bauer and Pavol Minárik) who belonged to the Chris ...
(KDS). The party won its best result, of 2.1%, in alliance with the KDS at the
2009 European election. The party won seats in the National Council for the first time in
2010 election, on the
Most–Híd
Most–Híd (, ; from the Slovak and Hungarian words for "bridge") was an inter-ethnic political party in Slovakia. Its programme calls for greater cooperation between the country's Hungarian minority and ethnic Slovak majority. It was one of ...
list. In
2016 election the party won 1 seat in the National Council on the
Sloboda a Solidarita list and in
2020 election the party won 2 seat also on the
Sloboda a Solidarita list.
The OKS was a member of the
Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) (2009–2016) and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) (2016–2019), is a conservativ ...
until 2022.
History
The Civic Conservative Party was formed by
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
(DS) members of the
National Council on 10 November 2001. The DS initially offered the OKS and the
Liberal-Democratic Union to run in the
2002 election, on a united list, but then withdrew and endorsed the
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union. The OKS attempted to negotiate a joint list with the
Christian Democratic Movement
The Christian Democratic Movement ( sk, Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie, KDH) is a Christian democracy, Christian-democratic List of political parties in Slovakia, political party in Slovakia that is a member of the European People's Party (EPP ...
and
Party of the Hungarian Coalition
The Party of the Hungarian Community ( hu, Magyar Közösség Pártja, sk, Strana maďarskej komunity; SMK-MKP), formerly known as Party of the Hungarian Coalition ( hu, Magyar Koalíció Pártja, sk, Strana maďarskej koalície), was a politi ...
, but this failed to materialise. Undeterred, the OKS ran alone under the banner 'Call for Slovakia' (''Výzva pre Slovensko'') and gained 9,422 votes, or 0.32% of the national total.
In the
December 2002 local elections, two mayors were elected for OKS. In addition, OKS took 20 deputy seats, or 0.1% of the seats nationwide. In July 2003, it was one of four parties across Europe endorsing the
soft eurosceptic
Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...
Prague Appeal, along with the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Conservative Party,
Law and Justice of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, and the
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
Civic Democrats.
The OKS supported
František Mikloško
František Mikloško (born 2 June 1947) is a Slovak politician. He was the Speaker of the Slovak National Council from 1990 to 1992. And a long serving MP of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (1990-2010). For most of his career, he wa ...
of the
Christian Democratic Movement
The Christian Democratic Movement ( sk, Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie, KDH) is a Christian democracy, Christian-democratic List of political parties in Slovakia, political party in Slovakia that is a member of the European People's Party (EPP ...
(KDH) in the
2004 presidential election. Mikloško was one of the few candidates not being former members of the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Comint ...
, and ended up fifth with 6.51% share of the total vote. In the
European election two months later, the party fielded
Peter Osuský as its sole candidate. He received 7,016 votes: 1% share of the vote.
In the
2005 regional elections, the party gained three seats:
František Šebej and
Peter Tatár in
Bratislava Region and
Katarína Adamicová in
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...
. This represented 0.72% share nationwide.
OKS offered to run on the common candidate list with the Christian Democratic Movement in the
2006 parliamentary election. This offer was turned down by the KDH, the Civic Conservatives had to raise 500,000
korún as a fee for the party to participate. In March 2006, OKS member
Ondrej Dostál applied to the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
, considering the possible unconstitutionality of the election participation fee, saying the fee affects his right to run for office. In the election, former Chairman of the
Czechoslovak Constitutional Court Ernest Valko
Ernest Valko, JUDr., PhD. (10 August 1953 – 8 November 2010) was the former Chairman of the Czechoslovak Constitutional Court and prominent Slovak lawyer. Valko was shot dead inside his home in Limbach in 2010. As of May 2011, the investigat ...
and former Minister of Health
Rudolf Zajac
Rudolf Zajac (born 9 February 1951) is a former Minister of Health of Slovakia in the government of Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda
Mikuláš Dzurinda (; born 4 February 1956) is a Slovak politician who was the prime minister of Slovakia fr ...
appeared on the OKS list. The party obtained 6,262 votes which represented 0.27% share of the total vote.
In the
2009 regional elections, the OKS won four seats, up one from 2005: 3 in
Bratislava Region and one in
Žilina Region
The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...
.
Parliamentary party
In the
2010 election, fourteen OKS members stood on the
Most–Híd
Most–Híd (, ; from the Slovak and Hungarian words for "bridge") was an inter-ethnic political party in Slovakia. Its programme calls for greater cooperation between the country's Hungarian minority and ethnic Slovak majority. It was one of ...
party list. Strongly defining themselves as against the
left-wing nationalist coalition,
four MPs were elected from the list, along with ten Most–Híd members. This gave the OKS its first parliamentary representation since 2002. Most–Híd entered a centre-right coalition government, which the Civic Conservatives supported, but the OKS did not join the government themselves, and remained separate from Most–Híd.
In August, the party objected to coalition plans for tax reform, calling instead for closing
tax loopholes and funding lower taxes by cutting government spending. In October 2010, Peter Zajac called for
Dobroslav Trnka to step down as General Prosecutor, after Trnka criticised Interior Minister
Daniel Lipšic
Daniel Lipšic (born 8 July 1973) is a Slovak politician and Jurist. He is a former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and former Minister of Interior. Until 28 May 2012 he was a member of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), in whic ...
and other officials, saying that Trnka didn't respect the law or the
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
of
ethnic Hungarians. The party supported changes to the controversial
State Language Act, but the OKS's
Ondrej Dostál said the changes didn't go far enough in allowing use of minority languages.
In March 2011, the party opposed the government's plans to increase taxes on the
self-employed
Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than an employer. Tax authorities will generally view a person as self-employed if the person chooses to be recognised as such or if the person is generating income for which a tax return n ...
, and instead proposed funding cuts in
payroll tax
Payroll taxes are taxes imposed on employers or employees, and are usually calculated as a percentage of the salaries that employers pay their employees. By law, some payroll taxes are the responsibility of the employee and others fall on the em ...
by cutting government spending. The four OKS MPs have proposed a law restricting the government's power to build highways on privately owned land, which had earlier been ruled unconstitutional.
In October 2011, the party opposed the government's commitment to the
European Financial Stability Facility
The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) is a special purpose vehicle financed by members of the eurozone to address the European sovereign-debt crisis. It was agreed by the Council of the European Union on 9 May 2010, with the objectiv ...
. In response,
František Šebej left the OKS on 11 October and joined Most–Híd. After the subsequent fall of the government, the OKS attempted to renew their alliance with Most–Híd at the
2012 election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: ...
, but were rejected.
Instead, several OKS candidates were running on the
Ordinary People
''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an upp ...
list. However, they had left the list before the elections, in protest to the request of the leader of
Ordinary People
''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by Robert Redford in his directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Judith Guest. The film follows the disintegration of an upp ...
Igor Matovič
Igor Matovič (born May 11, 1973) is a Slovak politician and former businessman. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia and Minister of Finance from April 2021 to December 2022 and Prime Minister from March 2020 to March 2021.
...
, that all candidates from the list undertake
polygraph
A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked ...
test.
Ideology
The party advocates respect for people regardless of their religion, race and nationality. Their aim is to pursue conservative values stemming from the inner need of individuals to live in a world whose highest value is personal freedom tempered by personal responsibility and an awareness of personal obligations towards society.
The OKS characterizes itself as a party of reforms. According to its platform, it rejects:
* all kinds of
social engineering
*
totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regu ...
and
autocracy
*
historical, as well as
current value relativism.
It respects the historical memory as a part of the national
cultural identity and thus rejects lining up behind autocracy,
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
and
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
.
The stated aim of the OKS is to pursue the system of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
values such as consistency, veracity, fairness, honesty, respectability, solidarity, and observance of written and non-written treaties and agreements.
Election results
Elected representatives
The OKS had three members of
regional
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
parliaments in 2009–2013:
*
Katarína Adamicová (
Žilina
Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of ...
)
*
René Bílik (
Bratislava)
*
Ondrej Dostál (
Bratislava)
A fourth member of a regional parliament,
František Šebej (
Bratislava), left the party in 2011.
In 2010–2012 OKS had four members of the
National Council, embedded within the
Most–Híd
Most–Híd (, ; from the Slovak and Hungarian words for "bridge") was an inter-ethnic political party in Slovakia. Its programme calls for greater cooperation between the country's Hungarian minority and ethnic Slovak majority. It was one of ...
party list of candidates:
* Ondrej Dostál
*
Peter Osuský
*
František Šebej
*
Peter Zajac
In
2012–2016 OKS did not have any Member of Parliament.
After
2016 parliamentary elections OKS had one Member of the National Council. Ondrej Dostál, party leader, was elected on the party list of
Sloboda a Solidarita (SaS).
Since the
2020 parliamentary elections OKS has two Members of the National Council. Ondrej Dostál, party leader, and Radovan Kazda were elected on the party list of
Sloboda a Solidarita (SaS).
Leaders
*
Peter Tatár (2001 – 2006)
* ''Collective leadership'' (2006 – 2007)
*
Peter Zajac (2007 – 2012)
*
Ondrej Dostál (2012 – present day)
See also
*
:Civic Conservative Party (Slovakia) politicians
Footnotes
External links
English-language portion of official siteSlovak-language Internet broadcast of the party
{{DEFAULTSORT:Civic Conservative Party (Slovakia)
Liberal conservative parties in Slovakia
Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe member parties
Libertas.eu
Freedom and Solidarity
Anti-communist parties