Former Prime Minister Robert Fico, a figure from the left-wing political spectrum, has pledged to cease providing military assistance to Ukraine. However, the formation of a coalition government will depend on the support of smaller political parties.
Slovakia’s recent election has seen the populist party led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico emerge victorious. This party advocates for the discontinuation of military aid to Ukraine and expresses criticism towards both the European Union and NATO. According to the Slovak Statistics Office, Fico’s SMER-SSD party secured 23.3 percent of the votes, surpassing the centrist Progressive Slovakia (PS), which received 17 percent of the votes. This outcome was based on the completion of vote counting from nearly 99.98 percent of the polling stations, numbering around 6,000.
Saturday’s election in Slovakia served as a litmus test for the country’s support for neighboring Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The 59-year-old former Prime Minister Robert Fico has made a commitment to refrain from sending any military assistance, even a single round of ammunition, to Ukraine. Instead, he advocates for improved relations with Russia.
Slovakia, with a population of 5.5 million people, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February. The country has been generous in its support, both in terms of donations of arms and opening its borders to refugees fleeing the conflict.
Given that no single party secured an outright majority in the election, the party with the largest share of the vote is granted the first opportunity to form a coalition government. The composition of the government is expected to rely on the cooperation of several smaller parties.
Fico, who previously served as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, is likely to become prime minister if he can garner the support of the left-wing Hlas (Voice) party, which received 14.7 percent of the votes, making it the third-largest party. Another potential coalition partner, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party, which holds pro-Russian views, secured 5.6 percent of the vote.
Peter Pellegrini, the leader of the Hlas party, congratulated Fico on his victory but expressed reservations about the prospect of having two former prime ministers in the same government. Despite the challenges, he acknowledged that such a coalition could still be formed.
The three parties, including PS, Hlas, and the Slovak National Party, would collectively hold a parliamentary majority if they decided to form a coalition government.
Michal Simecka, the leader of the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, expressed his party’s intention to do whatever is possible to prevent the election winner, SMER-SSD, from forming a government. He acknowledged the victory of SMER-SSD but emphasized concerns about the potential consequences of a Robert Fico-led government for Slovakia.
Simecka stated, “SMER-SSD won the election, we of course respect that, but at the same time, we believe that this is very bad news for Slovakia. And it would be even worse news if Robert Fico succeeds in forming a government.”
Political analysts anticipate that a government led by Fico could bring about significant changes in Slovakia’s foreign policy, potentially aligning it more closely with the policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This shift in foreign policy could strain the fragile unity within the European Union (EU) and NATO, particularly concerning their stance on opposing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Fico’s views are seen as reflecting a historically warm sentiment toward Russia among many Slovaks.