ALDE Party member Progresívne Slovensko in Slovakia confirmed Ľudovít Ódor will be the party’s lead candidate for the European elections in June.

Ódor served as Slovakia’s technocratic Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior in 2023, before the snap parliamentary elections which saw PS obtain its best-ever result.

"Progressive Slovakia is a movement that has the future of Slovakia as its first priority. That is why we are attracting the best experts with whom we want to create this future together. [Ódor] will be an excellent lead candidate and part of PS’ broader political future," said party leader Michal Šimečka.

Z tejto správy mám veľkú radosť! Tím PS posilnila výrazná osobnosť - lídrom našej kandidátky do Európskych volieb bude bývalý premiér Ľudovít Ódor.

PS sme vždy budovali ako hnutie, ktoré má na prvom mieste budúcnosť Slovenska. A tú vieme tvoriť iba s najlepšími odborníkmi a… pic.twitter.com/w75WCccuGg

— Michal Šimečka (@MSimecka) January 24, 2024

"PS is a party that wants to reach out to a wider group of voters and broaden its scope on the political map. I want to unite pro-democratic forces, and I am glad that PS has a similar ambition. This would create a strong and stable pro-democratic backbone of the Slovak political scene," Ódor stressed.

"Our partners in the EU need to see that there are forces in Slovakia that disagree with the current direction of the country. Slovakia should have real representation of which we can be proud. Economic issues such as the future set-up of the eurozone, fiscal responsibility and competitiveness cannot be divided into a national and European levels; we will share all problems and successes.”

Ódor will also act as chair of the board of the party’s political foundation Progressive Institute (Progresívneho inštitútu), where he will participate in the creation of future PS programmes.

The European elections in Slovakia will be held on 8 June, as citizens will head to the polls to elect 15 MEPs.

Photo: Michal Šimečka / X