A neo-Nazi wins
Eastern approaches 2013-12-20
Summary:
THE convincing victory of Marián Kotleba (pictured), a 36-year-old Slovak who became notorious for his praise of the Slovak collaborationist government during the second world war, in a regional governor race has shocked even the most prescient observers.
Mr Kotleba came a clear first in central Slovakia’s Banska Bystrica region. In a runoff on November 24th and 25th he took 56% of the vote, defeating the incumbent Vladimír Maňka, who doubles as a member of the European Parliament for Smer, the party of Robert Fico, the prime minister. “It is a surprise to me in Bratislava, but the people I know that live in the region kept telling me he might win,” says Pavol Baboš, a political scientist at Comenius University.
Once fond of wearing uniforms in the 1930s and 40s fascist style, Mr Kotleba has since softened his image just enough to widen his appeal. He used to openly and loudly praise the Slovak Nazi puppet state; now he focuses on a topic more in the mainstream: a dislike of the country’s socially isolated Roma minority. He has referred to the Roma, of whom there are up to half a million in a country of...Continue reading