right|thumb|Former headquarters of the ĽS-HZDS political party at Tomášikova Street 32/A in [[Bratislava]]
The People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (, ĽS–HZDS), known as the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (, HZDS) until 2003, was a conservative and populist political party in Slovakia. It was founded in 1991 following a split from Public Against Violence and dissolved in 2014. Throughout its existence, the party was led by its founder, Vladimír Mečiar. HZDS was considered a personalistic party built around Mečiar's cult of the leader. At the same time, it was a mass party with over 70,000 members at its peak.
The party dominated Slovak politics from 1992 to 2002 and led two non-consecutive governments between 1992 and 1998. During its time in power, HZDS oversaw the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the independent Slovakia state formation period. It also oversaw democratic backsliding, the growing influence of organized crime on the state, and the emergence of a Slovak business oligarchy.
Although uncategorized on the left–right spectrum, HZDS utilized nationalist and statist rhetoric to gain popular support. Its position toward European integration was considered ambiguous, evolving from soft Euroscepticism throughout the 1990s to self-proclaimed pro-Europeanism during the 2000s. On European level it was affiliated within the European Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group from 2009 until 2014. It was also a member of the Alliance of Democrats international.
History
Velvet Revolution
The party was created as a Slovak nationalist faction of Public Against Violence (VPN), from which it seceded at an extraordinary VPN congress on 27 April 1991. Called 'Movement for a Democratic Slovakia' (HZDS), it was led by Vladimír Mečiar, who had been deposed as Slovak Prime Minister a month earlier, and composed mostly of the VPN's cabinet members. The HZDS claimed to represent Slovak national interest, and demanded a more decentralised Czechoslovak confederation. On 7 May 1992, the HZDS voted for a declaration of independence, but this was defeated 73-57.
At the first election in which it took part, on 5–6 June, the HZDS won an overwhelming victory, with 74 seats on the National Council: two short of an absolute majority. Mečiar was appointed prime minister on 24 June. Whereas the HZDS wanted a confederation, the Czech elections on the same day were won by Civic Democratic Party, which preferred a tighter federation. Recognising that these positions were irreconcilable, the National Council voted for Slovakia's Declaration of Independence by 113 votes to 24, and Mečiar concluded formal negotiations over the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.
Dominant party
The party adopted an economically populist position, and sought to slow the post-Soviet privatisation and liberalisation.
In the first elections after independence, in late 1994, the HZDS retained its dominant position, winning 58 seats (the Peasant's Party of Slovakia won a further 3 on its list).
Decline in opposition
Originally designating itself as a centre-left party, the party moved towards the mainstream right and, in March 2000, renamed itself the 'People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia' (ĽS-HZDS) to try to achieve membership of the European People's Party (EPP). However, lingering memories of former anti-Europeanism, conflicting rhetoric, The ĽS-HZDS then looked to the Euro-integrationist European Democratic Party,