BRATISLAVA – In yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Slovakia, the Direction – Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico received the highest number of votes, 23.31%, based on 99.2% of counted votes, as announced today by the Slovak Statistical Office.

According to unofficial election results, the Progressive Slovakia party finished second with 16.98%, despite pre-election forecasts predicting their victory. Following them are the Ordinary People (OLANO) – For the People’s-Christian Union coalition with 9.02%, KDH (Christian Democratic Movement) with 6.91%, SaS (Freedom and Solidarity) with 6.18%, and the Slovak National Party (SNS) with 5.67%, reported the TASR agency.

Among the parties that failed to enter the parliament are Republic (4.8%), Alliance (4.46%), Democrats (2.92%), and We Are Family (2.25%), while other parties received less than one percent of the votes.

The voter turnout was 68.06%, according to the Slovak Statistical Office.

BBC has reported that based on nearly all counted votes, it’s clear that the “pro-Russian party led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico” has won the parliamentary elections in Slovakia.

Fico’s Direction – Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party, which promised to urgently cut off military support to Ukraine during the campaign, received nearly 24% of the votes, despite pre-election polls suggesting victory for the liberal-centrist party.

Fico was forced to step down from the position of prime minister after the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak in 2018, and following these elections, he will, judging by the results, have to engage in coalition negotiations to form the next government, BBC reports.

The pro-European party Hlas, which could decide who forms the next government, finished third with 15% of the votes. The leader of this party, former colleague of Fico, and leftist Peter Pellegrini, announced that all options are open for the formation of the future ruling coalition.

“If Direction enters the government, we won’t fire a single shot at Ukraine,” Fico recently told his supporters and assessed that the war actually started in 2014 when, as he stated, “Ukrainian nationalists and fascists began killing the Russian population in Donbas.” Fico’s statement has raised concerns among members of the European Union and NATO, but it has received support on social media among Slovaks who traditionally have “warm feelings” toward Moscow, as reported by BBC.

Progressive Slovakia, the second-place party in terms of the number of votes, is a liberal, pro-Western party that promises to continue military support for Ukraine. It offers a vision of an “open, tolerant, cosmopolitan society” and advocates a liberal stance within the European Union on issues such as green policies and LGBTQ+ rights.

Zapad motri Fica, predizborni zavjet o ‘niti jednom metku’ za Ukrajinu

“Mi smo miroljubiva zemlja. Mi nećemo poslati niti jedan metak Ukrajini,” rekao je prekaljeni slovački političar Robert Fico čija stranka Smer – sociálna demokracia uživa prestiž ususret izborima koji će se održati 30. rujna.

“Oni će i tako morati sjesti i pronaći sporazum,” dodao je tijekom govora pobornicima u gradu Banovce nad Bebravou. “Rusija nikad neće napustiti Krim, nikad neće otići s teritorija koji kontrolira.”

Reuters piše da njegove izravne i populističke poruke animiraju birače dok izazivaju zapadnjačku zabrinutost da bi Kijev mogao izgubiti jednog od svojih najzdušnijih saveznika.

Bratislava je nakon ruske invazije u veljači 2022. godine zauzela čvrst proukrajinski stav koji se manifestira kroz slanje oružja ili zdušnu političku potporu unutar Europske unije i Sjevernoatlantskog saveza.

Motrišta

Fico se ususret izborima osokolio i ponudio alternativna gledišta i politike, uključujući kritiku zapadnjačkih sankcija Rusiji, pozive na poratno približavanje Moskvi ili zavjet da neće dopustiti ulazak Ukrajine u NATO.

Pedesetdevetogodišnjak, koji iza sebe ima dva premijerska mandata, izaziva nelagodu i prepoznavanjem šireg konteksta i povoda za rat u Ukrajini.

Tvrdnja da je rat “započeo u 2014. kada su ukrajinski nacisti i fašisti započeli ubijati ruske građane u Donbasu i Luhansku” uobičajena je na njegovim predizbornim skupovima.

Reuters navodi da polarizaciji društva i izostanku potpore Kijevu doprinose i dezinformacije na društvenim mrežama.

“Ne bismo ih (Ukrajince) trebali podržavati oružjem jer zlo samo rađa više zla,” rekla je 68-godišnja umirovljenica Eleonora Tanacova slušajući jedan od govora Ficoa. “Ovaj rat nikad neće završiti ako ih nastavimo podržavati.”

Zabrinutost Zapada

Uspon europskih populista i protivnika rata, u posljednjim mjesecima sve uočljiviji u Njemačkoj ili čak jednoj od najzdušnijih saveznica Kijeva, Poljskoj, izaziva rastuću zabrinutost američkih i zapadnjačkih diplomata koji očajnički nastoje održati zajedničku frontu protiv Moskve.

Fico bi se u takvoj klimi lako mogao prikloniti mađarskom premijeru Viktoru Orbanu čija su gledišta komplementarna.

Zapadnjački i ukrajinski dužnosnici ne skrivaju nelagodu zbog potencijalnog širenja “Orbanove koalicije” u Europskoj uniji, iako su obojica državnika u prošlosti pokazivala pragmatizam u ključnim pitanjima.

Ficovi konzervativci jučer su pobijedili u Slovačkoj.