RT.com
02 Oct 2023, 06:14 GMT+10
Robert Fico has a clear lead following the vote in Slovakia, but will need to find coalition partners to form a government
The Slovak Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party has won Saturday's parliamentary election, with results from most districts giving it a 6 percentage point lead over its pro-Western rival, Progressive Slovakia.
The SMER-SD party is led by former prime minister Robert Fico, who has vowed to end military aid to Ukraine and publicly criticized the European Union's sanctions on Russia as ineffective and harmful.
"We are a peaceful country," Fico declared at a rally last week, adding that if his party wins it "will not send a single round [of ammunition] to Ukraine."
The Progressive Slovakia party, a staunch supporter of EU policies, is the runner up with just over 17% of the vote, with 95% of ballots counted. Its 39-year-old leader Michal Simecka, a vice-president of the European Parliament, campaigned on promises to continue Slovakia's support for Ukraine.
The pro-European HLAS (Voice) party, is polling third, just short of 15%. It's leader Peter Pellegrini called it a victory and has not ruled out a possible coalition with Fico.
With no party set to win a majority of seats, Slovakia will need to form a coalition government. Other parties that made it over the threshold include the conservative Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), the liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), as well as a conservative coalition of the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OL'aNO) with the Christian Union and For the People party.
The Slovak National Party also made it past the 5% threshold. Leader Andrej Danko expressed willingness to join a coalition with Fico to "compete with liberalism," while comparing Simecka to a "hurt puddle."
The prospect of a Fico-led government has set alarm bells ringing in the EU, where officials in Brussels fear he could join Hungary in challenging the EU consensus on supporting Ukraine, and veto future military aid or vote against additional anti-Russia sanctions packages.
NATO member Slovakia has supplied Kiev with armored personnel carriers, howitzers, and its entire fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets.
However, Fico has made it clear that it would not unquestioningly follow the US lead if elected. Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service claimed last week that to prevent this from happening, Washington was willing to go to any lengths, including blackmail and bribery, to ensure a win for the incumbent Slovak government.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Scandinavia Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Scandinavia Times.
More InformationDUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland's national weather service, Met Eireann, has warned that 'snow is possible' for Ireland in the upcoming days, ...
AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands: As European carmakers aim to produce more cost-effective batteries and more affordable electric vehicles (EV), Stellantis and ...
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov accused Washington of supporting a change of leadership in the countryThe US is increasingly focused ...
Russophobia, racism and other forms of neo-Nazism have become the official ideology of Western elites, the president has claimedThe official ...
Coup leaders have claimed that the relevant legislation was passed without considering its negative consequencesNiger's military government announced on Monday ...
London [UK], November 28 (ANI): One of Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787s on Tuesday took off for the world's first 100 ...
LIVINGSTON, Kentucky: This week, railroad operator CSX said a train derailment involving 16 cars, two of which spilled molten sulfur ...
Fifty-seven journalists have been killed as of Saturday as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which has extended to ...
TEL AVIV, Israel - Following Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's statement on Emily Hand's release, Israel's foreign minister says he summoned the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The White House says U.S. authorities have foiled a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the U.S., ...
BANGKOK, Thailand: In response to heightened Chinese activity in the South China Sea, the United States and the Philippines have ...
BEIRUT, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement on Saturday that ...