Igor Matovic has spent the past decade assailing Slovakia’s establishment and distancing himself from traditional politicians. Now the self-made millionaire is poised to become the central European nation’s next prime minister.
In an unexpectedly strong showing, Mr Matovic’s anti-corruption Ordinary People party stormed to victory in this weekend’s parliamentary election, putting it on course to oust the leftwing populist Smer party that has dominated Slovak politics for the past 14 years. His party won a quarter of the vote, up from 11 per cent in 2016, by tapping into the deep anger in Slovak society triggered by the murder of a young investigative journalist two years ago.
“We wanted to reach the 2m people who had lost faith in politics,” Mr Matovic said, as it became clear Ordinary People was on course to win. “We take this result as a request from people who want us to clean up Slovakia.”
Mr Matovic’s surprise win was a sign of how shaken Slovak politics were by the murder of Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova in 2018. The brutal contract killing triggered the biggest protests in Slovakia’s independent history, forcing Smer’s veteran leader Robert Fico to resign as prime minister and helping the liberal activist Zuzana Caputova to win the presidency last year.
The aftershocks affected the campaign. Leaks from the murder probe revealed allegedly widespread links between businessmen, politicians and judges, keeping corruption at the forefront of the political debate.
He’s hard to put in one box. He’s a campaigner. A champion against corruption. Clearly there was a strong current in society that wanted change and he has been able to attract a large section of them
Mr Matovic tapped into the angry public mood. In January, his party was polling in the single digits but an unorthodox campaign punctuated by colourful antics helped catapult him to the front of a fragmented field.
In one stunt, he filmed himself slapping signs reading “Property of the Slovak Republic” on the fence of a luxury villa in Cannes owned by a former Smer minister. Videos of the escapade have received hundreds of thousands of views online.
When a nationalist politician appeared drunk during a parliamentary debate, Mr Matovic brandished a sign reading: “He’s smashed.” He also once parked a caravan with a sign reading “Fico defends thieves” in front of parliament.
Beyond his focus on fighting corruption, however, Mr Matovic’s politics are harder to define. Ordinary People’s members range from the liberal to the deeply conservative. Mr Matovic was first elected to parliament on the ticket of a liberal party in 2010, before falling out with its leadership.
“Ordinary People is pro-EU and pro-Nato and anti-Putin, and in this respect I don’t expect a divergence from the path Slovakia has been on,” said Michal Vasecka of the Bratislava Policy Institute. “[They] might show greater animosity to the [social] values of western Europe.”
“He’s hard to put in one box,” said one diplomat. “He’s a campaigner. A champion against corruption. He’s seen as a maverick . . . Clearly there was a strong current in society that wanted change and he has been able to attract a large section of them.”
The 46-year-old’s critics say his unpredictable style and lack of a clear platform beyond fighting corruption means any government he leads is likely to be unstable. “Matovic is like an unguided missile,” said Raul Rodrigues, a voter in Partizanske in central Slovakia. “It’s really hard to get an agreement on anything with him. I cannot imagine him as prime minister.”
Olga Gyarfasova, senior research fellow at the Institute for Public Affairs in Bratislava, said that Mr Matovic was essentially a populist. “It starts with the name of the party: Ordinary People,” she said. “He wants to portray himself as the . . . voice of the people.”
Mr Matovic’s supporters said criticism of their leader stemmed from his willingness to tackle uncomfortable truths. “Matovic is a very good person who tells the truth. He is never quiet,” said Tomas Sudik, a candidate for Ordinary People. “Some people might not like it, but the truth always wins.”
Mr Matovic, who ran a regional newspaper business before going into politics, said he would open coalition talks with the centre-right For The People party of former president Andrej Kiska, the liberal SaS party, and the populist We are Family group of Boris Kollar. Between them, they would be able to command a constitutional majority.
The parties’ differing outlooks mean that talks may not be straightforward. But Milan Nic, from the German Council on Foreign Relations, said a deal is likely.
“This result is an earthquake. The centre-right has been completely realigned and this is the beginning of the era of Igor Matovic,” he said. “We had expected a fragmented parliament, but we have a leader with a strong mandate. It may take time, but he will form a coalition.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
