Slovak police announced on July 28 that they have charged the leader of the neo-Nazi People's Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) with extremism.

The move comes as the authorities seek to pile the pressure on the party and leader Marian Kotleba ahead of regional elections in November. In May, the prosecutors office launched a bid to ban LSNS.

The charges stem from a March event at which Kotleba presented a disabled children’s charity with a cheque for €1,488. The number is a neo-Nazi reference.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed shock last year after the LSNS entered parliament with around 8% of the vote in the March election. Fico’s nominally left-leaning Smer party lost its majority, as a bitter anti-immigration campaign pushed voters to the right.

Slovakia will hold regional elections on November 4. The vote will be the first major test of political mood in the country since the general election, and Smer is clearly hoping to subdue support for the far right. Two other senior LSNS MPs have been charged this year with crimes of extremism.

Amidst the pressure, Kotleba is yet to announce if he will run for another term as governor of the Bankska Bystrice region. However, the party has seen its support at national level rise to 11% in recent months.

Polls also suggest Kotleba would retain the governorship he has held since 2013 should he be eligible. Amendments to change regional elections into a single round, first past the post, format only serve to boost his chances.