Ordinary People and Independent Personalities Obyčajní ľudia a nezávislé osobnosti
Abbreviation	OĽaNO
Chairman	Igor Matovič
General Secretary	Július Jakab[1]
Parliamentary leader	Michal Šipoš
Founder	Igor Matovič
Founded	28 October 2011 (2011-10-28)
Split from	Freedom and Solidarity
Headquarters	Zámocká 6873/14, 81101 Bratislava
Membership (2021)	50[2]
Ideology	Conservatism[3][4] Populism[5][6]
Political position	Centre[7][8] to centre-right[9][10]
National affiliation	OĽaNO and Friends[11]
European affiliation	European People's Party
European Parliament group	European People's Party
Colours	Grey   Green
Slogan	"We will not sell you to the mafia" (2023)[12]
National Council	12 / 150
European Parliament	1 / 14
Regional governors	2 / 8
Regional deputies	21 / 416
Mayors[lower-alpha 1]	54 / 2,904
Local councillors[lower-alpha 2]	752 / 20,686
Website
obycajniludia.sk
Politics of Slovakia Political parties Elections

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (Slovak: Obyčajní ľudia a nezávislé osobnosti, OĽaNO) is a conservative political party in Slovakia. The anti-establishment party founded in 2011 won the 2020 parliamentary election on an anti-corruption platform.^[13] After getting in charge, OĽaNO adopted a generally conservative outlook. The party is led by former prime minister of Slovakia Igor Matovič. In 2021, Eduard Heger, a member of the party's presidium, succeeded Matovič and led the country until the fall of the Heger Cabinet on 15 May 2023.^[14]

In the 2016 and 2020 parliamentary election, the party integrated members of several minor parties within its list, not legally forming a coalition to avoid the imposed increased electoral threshold.

History

The four Ordinary People (OĽaNO) MPs were Igor Matovič, Erika Jurinová, Martin Fecko, Jozef Viskupič.^[15] OĽaNO sat in the National Council with Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and signed an agreement with SaS that its members could not cross the floor to another group. In June and July 2010,^[15] it was rumoured that OĽaNO would refuse to back the programme of the new centre-right coalition,^[16] which included Freedom and Solidarity, and whose majority depended on Ordinary People.^[17]

In August 2010, Matovič said that it was not the right time to become an independent party.^[17] However, on 28 October 2011, Ordinary People filed a formal party registration, while Matovič announced that the party would compete in 2012 parliamentary election as a separate electoral list, of independents and representatives of the Civic Conservative Party and the Conservative Democrats.^[18] In the 2012 election, the party came in third place overall, winning 8.55% of the vote and 16 seats.^[19]

In the 2014 European elections, OĽaNO came in fourth place nationally, receiving 7.46% of the vote and electing 1 MEP.^[20]

In the 2016 parliamentary election, Ordinary People ran in alliance with New Majority. They received 11.02% votes in Slovakia and consequently 19 MPs in the Slovak Parliament, 17 of whom came from Ordinary People.

In 2014–2019, the party was member of European Parliament group of European Conservatives and Reformists and in 2019 switched to the European People's Party group.

At the February 2020 parliamentary election, the Party received 25.0% of the vote, winning a 53 of 150 seats in the National Council. Party leader Igor Matovič was appointed as the Prime Minister designate.

Ideology and platform

Initially a big tent populist party, it eventually adopted a generally conservative outlook while maintaining its anti-corruption and anti-elitist rhetoric.^[21][22] Although conservative voices were always present in OĽaNO, their influence became significant after the 2020 parliamentary election.^[23][24] Party leader Igor Matovič endorsed the 2015 Slovak referendum initiated by Alliance for Family, voting against the introduction of same-sex marriages, adoptions and compulsory sex education in state schools.^[25] Before the last election, Matovič announced that his party would not join a coalition government that wanted to establish civil unions or loosen drug policy.^[26] At the same time, Christian Union merged into the party, presenting bills restricting abortions with major party support.^[27][28]

OĽaNO lacks any internal democratic structures, and Matovič decides on the composition of the electoral list, admission of members and political nominations.^[29][30][31] The use of public subsidies for the party is considered non-transparent and similar to a private company rather than a political entity.^[32] OĽaNO claimed to have 50 members as of 31 December 2021.^[33]

Election results

National Council

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities, (OĽaNO)

The party integrated Civic Conservative Party and Conservative Democrats of Slovakia members within its list; however, both parties withdrew from the list prior to the election due to a dispute with OĽaNO.

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Rank	Seats	+/–	Status
2012	Igor Matovič	218,537	8.6%	3rd	16 / 150		Opposition

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities–NOVA, (OĽaNO–NOVA)

The party legally changed its name before the election to integrate NOVA and Change from Below members within its list.

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Rank	Seats	+/–	Status
2016	Igor Matovič	287,611	11.0%	3rd	19 / 150	3	Opposition

Ordinary People and Independent Personalities–NOVA–Christian Union–Change from Below (OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ)

The party legally changed its name before the election to integrate NOVA, Christian Union and Change from Below members within its list.

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Rank	Seats	+/–	Status
2020	Igor Matovič	721,166	25.0%	1st	53 / 150	34	OĽaNO–We Are Family–SaS–For the People (2020–2022)
							OĽaNO–We Are Family–For the People (2022–2023)
							Opposition (2023)

Ordinary People, Independent Candidates, NOVA, Free and Responsible, Pačivale Roma, Magyar Szívek, (OĽaNO and Friends)

The party legally changed its name before the election to represent its internal factions and to integrate NOVA members within its list.

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Rank	Seats	+/–	Status
2023	Igor Matovič	OĽaNO–Christian Union–For the People			0 / 150	53	Extra-parliamentary

European Parliament

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Rank	Seats	+/–	Group
2014	Jozef Viskupič	41,829	7.5%	4th	1 / 13		ECR
2019	Michal Šipoš	51,834	5.3%	6th	1 / 14	0	EPP

Notes

References