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Branislav Gröhling, chairman of Slovakia’s Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), has moved to bar party founder Richard Sulík from all future electoral lists, underscoring a decisive shift in the country’s liberal opposition.
The decision marks the end of an era for Sulík, who established SaS in 2009 as a pro-market, socially liberal force and led it into parliament five times. Long one of Slovakia’s most recognisable politicians, Sulík has in recent months stepped back from public life, devoting himself to a cookbook project. Yet he had indicated he would contest the next parliamentary election in 2027.
News of his exclusion comes as SaS seeks to reposition itself under Gröhling’s leadership. He succeeded Sulík in 2024 after a party congress and has since presented the party as a more disciplined, centrist force. “He will not be on the candidate list in a week, in a month, or in a year,” Gröhling told the news site Aktuality. “We must cut ties with Richard Sulík if we want to grow and advance our values. This is my decision as chairman.”
Calm response to bold break
The announcement, far from provoking an internal revolt, has been greeted with striking calm. The only open dissent came from MP Jana Bittó Cigániková, a close ally of Sulík, who accused Gröhling of overreach and compared his tactics to communist-era political vetting.
Sulík himself has maintained silence, declining to respond either to Gröhling or to Slovak media. His son Filip, a social media personality known for incendiary commentary and links to far-right circles, stepped into the vacuum. In a profanity-laced post he insulted Gröhling as well as SaS’s own supporters, while defending his father’s record, according to Denník N.
