In Slovakia, around 4.4 million eligible voters are being called to vote in the new parliamentary elections this Saturday. A head-to-head race is expected between the social-democratic Smer of Russia-friendly long-term Prime Minister Robert Fico and the liberal-oriented, young Progressive Slovakia (PS) under EU Deputy Parliament President Michal Simecka.
Simecka cast his vote at a school in Bratislava and said he expects a close race in which “every vote will count.” one So far, the government has supplied, among other things, fighter jets to Ukraine. The progressives under Simecka want to bring about a change in mood in the country to prevent further emigration of young, well-educated Slovaks.
The party’s values include pro-Western democracy and more rights for LGBTQIA+ people, especially registered same-sex partnerships, which could mean finding coalition partners in the Catholic country could become a problem. In the 2020 parliamentary elections, the PS fell hundreds of votes short of even entering parliament.
Prime Minister: No amateurs
Fico cast his vote in a village near Bratislava. The former head of government said he wanted a Slovakia that was not governed by “amateurs and bunglers without experience”. He resigned five and a half years ago after the murder of a journalist and could be re-elected. Fico’s party could divert the country from a pro-European and pro-Ukrainian course. During the election campaign, the former head of government announced that he would block EU sanctions against Russia and take action against refugee flows.
Critics warn that Fico will lead the country on an authoritarian course. Internationally, the election results are eagerly awaited – the bars close at 10 p.m. According to most polls, Fico leads by a small margin. The social democratic Hlas of former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, which split from the Smer, the right-wing party SNS and the far-right Republika, also have a chance of entering parliament. According to polls, Pellegrini’s party is in third place.
Experts currently rule
The parties of the conservative-populist previous governments, which are now largely fragmented, have to worry about entering parliament. The threshold is five percent of the votes. Since the fall of the previous government, experts have been ruling under the leadership of economist Ludovit Odor and President Zusana Caputova. This will continue to do official business until a new coalition is formed.
Source: Krone
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