BRATISLAVA BRATISLAVA, SlovakiaFormer Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini announced Wednesday a plan to leave his leftist party to establish a new center-left political organization.
Pellegrini has been deputy chairman of the Smer-Social Democracy party, which had dominated Slovakia's politics since 2006 before being ousted from power by a center-right party in the February parliamentary election.
He has clashed with the party chairman, former Premier Robert Fico, over the scandal-tainted partys future following the disappointing loss in the election.
Pellegrini said he wants to form a new center-left party, saying he would be doing it from scratch and expected other Smer lawmakers to join him.
A recent poll suggested it might be as popular as the Ordinary People led by Prime Minister Igor Matovic, a center-right group that won the the Feb. 29 election.