Founded in March 2021 by Uhrík and other former members of the far-right neo-Nazi party People's Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) of Marian Kotleba, the movement took over and renamed the existing party Voice of the People (Slovak: Hlas Ľudu) led by Peter Marček, which had only 50 members in 2018. Marček was later kicked out of the party.
The party was formed on 9 March 2021 by taking over and renaming an already-established political party, Voice of the People (Slovak: Hlas Ľudu).[17] Before this, the party was led by Peter Marček, and had only 50 members as of 2018.[18] Milan Uhrík became the party's new chairman. Apart from Uhrík, additional former members of the far-rightneo-Nazi party ĽSNS joined the newly-renamed party. This included Milan Mazurek, Miroslav Suja, Ondrej Ďurica, and Eduard Kočiš, among others.
Marček was kicked out of the party in June 2022.[19] The party accused him of "doing his own politics" without consulting Uhrík. Marček, however, accused them of neo-Nazi tendencies and beliefs, and stated his objections were the primary reason for his firing. As of 2022, the party consists of 1,044 members.[20]
The party's voter-base is highly Eurosceptic[22] and Russophilic.[23] The party's political positions are radically critical of Slovakia's membership in the EU and NATO.[2] The party supports closer trade relations with China, Russia, India and other BRICS countries.[24]
The party advocates for the withdrawal of Slovakia out of NATO.[25] It also advocates against sending any and all lethal military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian war, beginning after the Russian invasion.[26] The party supports China's peace plan for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.[24]
Uhrík has suggested that the West has provoked China through its support for Taiwan.[24]
Uhrík supported a ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas War, describing a two-state solution as the only long-term solution to the Israel–Palestine conflict. However, he suggested that this state should be the culmination of the peace process rather than the beginning, to avoid the Palestinians making additional demands from the Israeli side.[27]
The party calls for Slovakia to stop all illegal immigration, even if doing so goes against EU institutions.[33]
The party's leader, Uhrík, stated the party has the greatest amount of members in the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Campaigners of any party, which the organization rejected. The organization then called the party's representatives fascist in response.[11] Later, after Uhrík published a photo of him alongside the organization's president, the organization's members protested the move and called the party's members neo-Nazi, homophobic and racist.[14]
The party was taken to court over the defamation of infectiologist Peter Sabak via their Facebook profile.[39] The party lost the case and was ordered to pay €15,000 for the immaterial damage caused, as well as offer a public apology.[40][38]
In June 2023, YouTube terminated the accounts of multiple party members and accounts associated with the party.[41]
Ondrej Ďurica, another founding member and vice-chairman, used to be a frontman for a Slovak neo-Nazi band titled White Resistance (Slovak: Biely odpor).[50][51]
^"Výročná správa"(PDF). Ministerstvo vnútra Slovenskej republiky (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-07-29.
^ abcdeOsvaldová, Lucia (2023-06-01). "Odborník na extrémizmus Mareš: Slovenské voľby sú pre Rusko veľmi dôležité". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-08-29. Je to strana, ktorá predstavuje pokus na získanie prijateľnejšej tváre pre verejnosť, pričom si však zachováva radikálnu rétoriku a štýl, ktorý je kritický voči zakotvenej zahranično-politickej a bezpečnostno-politickej orientácii Slovenska. Strana je kritičkou súčasného systému, určite je radikálna, v hnutí sú ľudia, ktorí v minulosti preukázateľne patrili k extrémistickým štruktúram.
^ ab"Newsfilter: Republika podľa Republiky alebo Lesnícke štúdium telocvikára Suju". Denník N (in Slovak). 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-26. Republika je strana zle maskovaných neonacistov a na základe Sujovho príkladu sa dá ilustrovať, že aj falošných odborníkov, ktorí školstvo po vzore Andreja Danka, Igora Matoviča či Borisa Kollára vnímajú len ako nástroj na získavanie bezcenných titulov a nie vzdelania.