Alliance (Slovak political party)

Logo of the Party of the Hungarian Community

In 2009, a moderate faction led by high-ranking SMK-MKP members founded Most–Híd. In the parliamentary election of 12 June 2010, the party missed the 5% border needed for participation in parliament by receiving 4.33% and lost its position in parliament. The SMK-MKP also proved unable to obtain 5% of the votes in the 2012 parliamentary election. On 22 September 2012, the party was renamed to Party of the Hungarian Community (Hungarian: Magyar Közösség Pártja, Slovak: Strana maďarskej komunity).

In the 2014 European elections, SMK–MKP came in seventh place nationally, receiving 6.53% of the vote and electing 1 MEP.[14] In the 2019 European elections, SMK–MKP fell just short of the 5% threshold with 4.96% thus losing their MEP.

Összefogás–Spolupatričnosť (Unity) was founded in the autumn of 2019, citing disputes between the Hungarian parties as a reason for its formation, which could have caused the Hungarian minority not to be represented on the National Council after the 2020 Slovak parliamentary elections. Former Member of the European Parliament for SMK-MKP, Edit Bauer, and former Deputy Chairman of Hungarian Civic Party (MNI), Gábor Zászlós, were instrumental in the formation of the party.[15]

In connection with the upcoming parliamentary elections, the members of Összefogás–Spolupatričnosť negotiated an electoral cooperation with four other ethnic Hungarian parties (Most–Híd, SMK-MKP, MKDA-MKDSZ the MF-MF).[16][17] On 24 November 2019, Összefogás–Spolupatričnosť approved the joint action of the Hungarian parties in the parliamentary elections. Összefogás–Spolupatričnosť was then transformed into MKS, and gained 30 seats on the candidate list. Szabolcs Mózes, the party president, ran second on the list, Örs Orosz, the party vice president, ran sixth, and József Nagy, a former member of the European Parliament, ran ninth. Mózes stated that they were joining to ensure the representation of the Hungarian minority and to contribute to the change of government and the removal of the Smer-SD party from power.[18] Eventually, SMK-MKP and the Hungarian Forum agreed to run on the Összefogás–Spolupatričnosť list which renamed themselves to Hungarian Community Togetherness (Hungarian: Magyar Közösségi Összefogás, Slovak: Maďarská komunitná spolupatričnosť; MKÖ-MKS). They only reached 3.91% and Most–Híd got 2.05% in the 2020 parliamentary election. This was the first election, in which no Hungarian minority party reached the 5% threshold.

After their failure, MKÖ-MKS, SMK-MKP, and Most–Híd entered into negotiations about further cooperation. On 20 August 2020, they signed a declaration of cooperation in Komárno, a town in southwestern Slovakia.[19] In March 2021, they announced that the negotiations had been successful, and that a new party "Aliancia – Szövetség" would be established. The new party would have three officers: a chairman nominated by SMK-MKP, a chairman of the Republican Council nominated by Most–Híd, and the post of expert vice-chairman nominated by MKÖ-MKS.[20]

Aliancia – Szövetség was formed by merging the parties SMK-MKP, Most–Híd, and MKÖ-MKS at the assembly in Šamorín on 2 October 2021.[21] The assembly was preceded by two years of negotiations between five Hungarian political parties about the possibility of cooperation. The goal of joining forces was declared as a return to parliament after the next election, or to be part of the governing coalition.[21] SMK-MKP continued to exist as a faction within Alliance under the backronym Hungarian Conservative Platform (Hungarian: Magyar Konzervatív Platform, MKP).

Krisztián Forró, the then-chairman of the SMK-MKP, became the chairman of the party, and the then-chairman of MKÖ-MKS, Szabolcs Mózes, was elected vice-chairman.[21] In addition, the chairman of the Republican Council, László Sólymos, the then-chairman of the Most–Híd party, was elected, as well as the vice-chairman and chairmen of the platforms, members of the republican presidency, republican committee and mandatory commissions.[21] Sólymos said: "We have laid the foundations for the political, parliamentary representation of the Hungarians, the nationalities and the regions in which we live".[21] The Alliance declared that it would negotiate cooperation with all Slovak parties, such as support for the EU, NATO, and Visegrad Four membership, but would not cooperate with extremist parties like the People's Party Our Slovakia and Direction – Slovak Social Democracy.[21][20]

In 2023, a few months before the election, however Most–Híd left the united party again over a dispute about allowing former OĽaNO MP György Gyimesi on the list.[22] Leaving only the SMK-MKP and Összefogás factions in the party.

• Béla Bugár (1998–2007)
• Pál Csáky (2007–2010)
• József Berényi (2010–2016)
• József Menyhárt (2016–2020)[31]
• Krisztián Forró (2020–)

• József Berényi (2020-2021)
• Iván Farkas (2020-2021)
• Zoltán Ciprusz (2020-2021)
• Szabolcs Mózes (2021–current)

• Péter Köpöncei (2020-2021)
• László Sólymos (2021–2023)
• Peter Pandy (2023–current)