Pellegrini at the House of Voice: The direction is stuck in the past, we are the future – Denník N

It is a few minutes before 9 o’clock in the morning and members of the Hlas party are gathering in front of the sports hall in Liptovský Mikuláš. After a long time, more than 700 delegates from all over Slovakia meet at the party congress for a cigarette and a quick cup of coffee. In a few minutes, Hlas chairman Peter Pellegrini enters the Liptov arena to the sound of the song Get Lucky together with several cameramen who broadcast his arrival live on the huge screens in the hall. Pellegrini shakes hands with the delegates and goes on stage to great applause. At first glance, the congress of the opposition party is a spectacular show – several spotlights shine on the presidency, delegates watch video speeches through large LED panels, and a whole team of people oversees the technology. According to the chairman of the party, it was the intention to make the dream look spectacular: “We wanted to clearly show that Hlas is a great political force in Slovakia, and that includes a proper presentation. This cannot be done in any sheds or barns,” said Pellegrini. Hlas has not yet calculated how much the event cost; according to Pellegrini, they could afford it mainly thanks to donors. However, the party leader promised to make the costs public. According to polls, the Voice has been the strongest party for a long time, consistently reaching more than 18 percent. Pellegrini says he is proud that, although Hlas is only two years old, it has strong regional structures and will field several of its candidates in the upcoming elections. It was a working meeting of the party, the delegates did not elect new members of the presidency or new vice-presidents, even though, according to Pellegrini, there is still a place in the leadership of the party. The party should elect new members of the presidency for next year before the summer. The former Minister of the Economy, member of the NR SR Peter Žiga, who is accused of corruption and is being investigated by NAKA, remains in the presidency. After brief organizational information, the chairman welcomes, in addition to the party delegates, the guests of the Diet, among them former ambassador Peter Weiss and former MEP Boris Zala. “Voice – social democracy is ready to rule,” says Zala, one of the co-founders of the Smer party, in his speech, praising individual members of the party’s presidency. (The list of guests at the Hlas assembly can be found below in the text.) Pellegrini: The direction is in the past In his speech, the chairman of the Hlas addressed criticism of the government and Prime Minister Eduard Heger. He called him a “non-existent prime minister” who stripped the office of the Prime Minister of its dignity. According to Pellegrini, early elections are the only solution to end the chaos and political crisis in which the current government has got Slovakia. He described Igor Matovič together with the ĽSNS as the greatest evil of Slovak politics and said that every deputy who This article is exclusive content for subscribers of Denník N. Are you a subscriber? Log in