Slovak neo-Nazi leader defeated in regional election

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Slovakia's neo-Nazi parliamentary party has suffered a blow after its chairman failed to get re-elected as the head of a regional government.

Marian Kotleba heads People's Party Our Slovakia, which openly admires the Nazi puppet state that the country was during World War II. Party members use Nazi salutes, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union.

Four years ago, Kotleba shocked the country by winning in the central region of Banska Bystrica.

The Slovak Statistics Office said Sunday that independent candidate Jan Lunter won the region with 48.5 percent of the vote, comprehensively beating Kotleba, who received 23.2 percent.

In an unprecedented move, most ruling coalition and opposition parties agreed to support Lunter to get a chance to defeat Kotleba.