The Slovak Christian Democrats party (KDH) was the only party to vote against the association of the European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance to the EPP, and its president, Fredrik Saweståhl, is planning on raising the issue of its leader’s homophobic statements during the next Political Assembly.
KDH leader Milan Majerský, called LGBT+ “a scourge”, said the “ideology” is as harmful as corruption and said he would personally vote for a constitutional ban on adoption by same-sex couples, which he discussed with Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“We must respect that the different political parties in the European People’s Party are at different points in history. In some countries they are more progressive on LGBTI+ rights, in others, it is taking much longer. But we cannot ignore if a party goes in the complete opposite direction,” Saweståhl said, adding that voting for further restriction of LGBT+ rights in Slovakia would not only be “foolish”, but would also go against EPP values.
Saweståhl went on to say that the road to possible Fidesz-style ramifications would be “a very long one”, and that you “do not want to shut the door” if there is hope of influencing someone, but opinioned that there are limits, and in the case of KDH, “we may be starting to walk down that road”.
But the KDH disagree on what the EPP’s values are. “There is no consensus on LGBTI policies in the EPP and there are many parties that have initiated the constitutional enshrinement of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, or politicians who have been persecuted for their view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman,” says Slavomír Gregorík, KDH’s international secretary.
However, Saweståhl says that the only country voting against the Alliance becoming an EPP Associated Entity was Slovakia, and Gregorík confirms they were the only Slovak party to do so. EPP-aligned Demokrati, who also criticised Majerský’s comment, voted for their inclusion.
“The KDH is consistent on both national and European levels and will always uphold the Christian-democratic values on which the EPP was founded,” says Gregorík.
When Majerský made the “scourge” comments, the EPP party said it does not comment on national debates during ongoing electoral campaigns, but added that it endorses the Alliance’s objectives. The EPP Group in the European Parliament, however, wished the Christian Democrats “much success” as a response.
(Barbara Zmušková | Euractiv.sk)
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