Marian Kotleba is a Slovak politician and leader of the far-right Kotleba – People"s Party Our Slovakia political party.
Education
Born in Banska Bystrica in what was then Czechoslovakia, Kotleba attended the local Jozef Murgas High School before enrolling at the Athletic Gymnasium (Slovak: Športové Gymnázium Banská Bystrica) specialising in sports. After finishing in the gymnasium Kotleba he enrolled in the Matej Belorussian University receiving a Master"s Degree in Pedagogics, later he once again enrolled in the Economics faculty at the same university and graduated with a master"s degree in Economics.
Career
Slovak: Kotleba – Ľudová strana Naše Slovensko). He has since 24 November 2013 served as the Governor of Banská Bystrica Region. In 2007 the Slovak interior ministry banned the party from running and campaigning in elections, however it still functioned as a civic organisation.
In 2009 he ran for the post of Governor of the Banská Bystrica region and received 10% of the vote.
In the 2013 local elections he ran again and this time received approximately 20% of the vote, thereby securing a run-off against favourite Vladimír Maňka.
Politics
Marian Kotleba holds views considered extremist, however he was never prosecuted for extremism (according to 140a of the Slovak criminal law). He’s supportive of Jozef Tiso, the First Slovak Republic. Contrary, he is openly against Roma people, Slovak National Uprising, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, United States and European Union.
According to Hospodárske noviny, his position on the Holocaust is unclear. British Broadcasting Corporation and The Economist consider him a neo-Nazi.