BRATISLAVA, Slovakia: In Slovakia’s early parliamentary elections, preliminary results on Sunday indicated a potential victory for the populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for his pro-Russian and anti-American stance. With nearly 88 percent of votes counted from approximately 6,000 polling stations, Fico’s leftist Smer (Direction) party secured the lead with 23.7 percent of the vote.
In second place was the Progressive Slovakia party, a liberal and pro-West newcomer, with 15.6 percent of the votes cast on Saturday. However, with no single party likely to secure a majority of seats, the formation of a coalition government will be necessary.
The left-wing Hlas (Voice) party, led by Peter Pellegrini, Fico’s former deputy in Smer, captured third place with 15.4 percent of the vote. Pellegrini, who parted ways with Fico following Smer’s defeat in the previous 2020 election, hinted at the possibility of a reunion to enhance Fico’s chances of forming a government. He emphasized the importance of forming a coalition that could agree on Slovakia’s priorities, ensuring stability and tranquility.
Other parties, including the populist Ordinary People group and the conservative Christian Democrats, secured the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Two parties teetering close to the 5 percent threshold needed for representation, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party (pro-Russian) and the Republic movement (far-right), led by former members of the openly neo-Nazi People’s Party Our Slovakia, could potentially become coalition partners for Fico. The pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party also remained in contention for parliamentary seats.
Final results were expected to be announced later on Sunday. The elections served as a critical test of Slovakia’s stance on neighboring Ukraine’s conflict with Russia. A victory for Fico, who pledged to withdraw Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine if returned to power, could strain unity within the European Union and NATO.
Fico, aged 59, has consistently opposed EU sanctions on Russia, questioned Ukraine’s ability to remove invading Russian troops, and advocated against Ukraine’s NATO membership. He proposed a diplomatic approach, urging the EU and the US to influence Russia and Ukraine to negotiate a peace agreement, echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unfounded claim of Ukraine being a Nazi state.
Additionally, Fico’s campaign included anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ rights stances, along with threats to dismiss investigators handling corruption and serious crimes. In contrast, Progressive Slovakia, established in 2017, envisions Slovakia’s future firmly rooted in its EU and NATO memberships and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, which is a rare stance among the country’s major parties.
Progressive Slovakia, particularly popular among young voters, achieved success in the 2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia, securing over 20 percent of the vote in coalition with the Together party. However, it narrowly missed winning seats in the national parliament during the 2020 election.
