In December, MEP and leader of the Republika movement Milan Uhrík will turn 40. He got into politics at the age of 26, when he first ran in a municipal election. He got into high-level politics at 33 and has remained there ever since.
In last year‘s parliamentary election, the Republika movement fell just short of the 5% threshold, but in the European election, it won 12.53% of the vote and secured two seats. I assume you‘re satisfied with this progress...
It‘s always a very positive moment when, as a Member of the European Parliament, you and your team put in 120% and citizens recognize the work you do positively. The European level is specific, but the foundation of success is honest work, providing unique information and insights from this environment. Yes, some of our competitors may try to imitate us, but they likely won‘t achieve such success because they cannot rely on the consistency of words and actions from their political parties. The 12% result is a good “springboard” for Republika, which now has double the representation. I firmly believe that after the next election, the Republika movement will also be represented in the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The pressure from globalists and Eurofederalists is growing, so Slovak politics will also need more patriots to protect sovereignty and traditional values.
What are Republika‘s goals in European politics?
We want to return European politics to reason, balanced cooperation, and sound values. These aspects have disappeared over the past few decades, and the EU is starting to take on a completely different face. The current EU is not the union we joined. I want to contribute to a positive change as an MEP and as the leader of Republika, which is a collective of professionals and patriots. And this change can be initiated even by small countries like Slovakia or Hungary, which will act boldly and autonomously at the European level. One way or another, either the EU will move in the right direction, or members will slowly begin to leave, just as the United Kingdom did.
Your movement is a member of the newly established group Europe of Sovereign States. What connects you with parties like Germany‘s AfD or Czechia‘s SPD?
National views on foreign policy and the European Union, safeguarding of national authority, mutually beneficial economic cooperation between states, a desire for world peace, rejection of the policies of the current Brussels bureaucrats, protection of Europe from mass and illegal migration, promotion of conservative and traditional values, and increasing the prosperity of our states. Together with parties that share a similar worldview, we can be stronger and more effective in promoting policies.
Receiving Slovak folklorists at the European Parliament.
Republika is classified as far-right. What appeals to you about the policies of this end of the spectrum?
Nowadays, the political division into right and left is outdated. It‘s mostly used to create the impression that some politicians are the “extreme fringe” and therefore unacceptable. But what‘s radical about saying that there are two genders? That we prefer peace over war? That we don‘t want to support millions of immigrants that are impossible to integrate, but we want to give money to our own citizens? So if the media and upstart experts label the bearers of these – in my opinion, sound – views as extreme or fringe, it‘s just a reflection of their political illiteracy and bias. And many people in Europe are not only starting to see this but are also gaining the courage to vote for parties that have been shunned by the media, because the other parties with fancy PR have done nothing to actually help them. Sound opinions are simply on the rise, gaining popularity, and politically engaged mass media are panicking because they‘re losing influence.
On your Facebook page, you warn against the politicization of historical events and their exploitation for a „progressive anti-russian campaign.“ Don‘t such statements contribute to the polarization of society?
Every state has its historical milestones on which its statehood, national memory, and pride are based. These moments need to be properly commemorated so that future generations don‘t forget and understand their significance. If you start distorting and reshaping them according to current political and geopolitical needs – exactly as globalists and progressives are doing today – you‘re stripping these milestones of their essence, turning them into tools in the hands of politicians hungry for power. Their actions contribute to the abuse of significant events, the escalation of tension, and the polarization of society, as well as escalating international relations. We see where this rhetoric of demonization and constant search for enemies at home and abroad has led – the West is becoming more isolated, and its influence is waning... We need to return to mutual respect and cooperation.
What exactly do you mean by a progressive? The meaning in the sense of progress probably doesn‘t apply here, does it?
If someone misuses language, its meanings, and discredits it with their actions or incompetence, it’s a natural consequence. Progressives in Slovak politics have nothing to do with progress. They are defenders of all the EU‘s rainbow and green policies, mandatory vaccination, total control over society, censorship of other opinions, and the welcoming of tens of thousands of African migrants. Would anyone consider this progress? I think not.
As a supporter of freedom of speech, how do you view the establishment of STVR and, according to critics, the possible censorship through the programming council, which is also supposed to be established?
Before, progressives tried to control public television, and now, since the political landscape has changed, the current government is making changes, which it more or less has the right to do. Freedom of speech and expression is a strong value upon which the democratic world was built. The new STVR programming council should take this into account and ensure the promised balance in broadcasting and guest appearances. However, we‘ll wait for the outcome. So far, Republika hasn‘t been invited after these changes, even though our poll numbers are well above 5%, and we have significant representation in European politics. I hope we will start appearing more frequently on public television as representatives of the patriotic and conservative movement.
CV BOX
Milan Uhrík (born December 21, 1984) is an MEP and leader of the Republika movement.
He completed his engineering studies at the Institute of Control and Industrial Informatics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava in 2009. Simultaneously, he studied global economics, financial management, and corporate economics at the Institute of Management at the Slovak University of Technology (STU) in Bratislava. He completed his doctoral studies in 2012 at the Institute of Energy and Applied Electrical Engineering, also at the STU.
In the past, he has worked as an IT manager and developer, university lecturer and researcher, and investment analyst in Zurich, Switzerland.
From March 2016 to July 2019, he was a Member of the National Council for LSNS. Through this party, he also entered the European Parliament. In January 2021, he left LSNS, and two months later, he became the leader of the Republika movement, which he transformed from the party Hlas ľudu.
He is married and has two children. In his free time, he takes interest in philosophy, psychology, economics, and sports.
