On 6 June, ALDE member party Progressive Slovakia (PS) held a congress to elect a new party leader and party bureau. Candidates running for the party presidency were incumbent party leader Michal Truban and Irena Bihariová.

The election between the two candidates was a close one, resulting in 105 votes to 100 votes in favour of Bihariová. She is the first woman to lead the party, as well as the first leader of Roma background in the party’s history.

Irena Bihariová stands for a balance between political idealism and pragmatism. She believes that PS should lead by example by being a progressive party that not only talks about women in politics but also acts on it. Thanking all her voters to set this example for her party, Bihariová also thanked her contender Michal Truban for the fair competition. Truban, together with ALDE MEPs Michal Šimečka and Martin Hojsík, as well as Ivan Štefunko and Zora Jaurová, will held roles in the new party bureau.

With pleasure, I congratulate Predrag Stromar @HaeNeS_ , András Fekete-Györ @momentumhu and Irena Bihariova @progresivne_sk on their (re) election as Party Presidents and @VanhanenMatti @keskusta on his appointment as Minister of Finance of Finland.
Liberals are in the lead! pic.twitter.com/wpdOV91jDq

— Hans van Baalen (@hansvanbaalen) June 10, 2020