2023-10-01 00:05:38
This Saturday, Slovakia experienced crucial elections for the future of the country. After the closing of the polling stations, the count is approaching very close and everything will depend on the possible government coalitions. The latest exit polls at the closing ensure that the party of the progressive Michael Simecka will monopolize 20% of the votes while the second, that of the pro-Russian Robert Fico would reach 19.1% of the votes. The surveys confirmed a heart-stopping night.
Slovaks went to the polls this Saturday in what is not only the election of the next prime minister but also a response to the geopolitical direction that the country will take from now on.
Robert Fico, a left-wing populist politician, who has already been prime minister, started weeks ago as a big favorite with his Smer party. His main opponent who has been gaining ground in the polls in the final stretch is Michael Šimečka, vice president of the European Parliament and member of the Progressive Slovakia party. The first, known for his pro-Russian positions, threatens to reduce aid to Ukraine and distance Slovakia from NATO while the second is a pro-European politician who does not raise any suspicions in either Brussels or Washington and who ensures unwavering support for the country. invaded by Vladimir Putin. The final results will be known this Sunday morning.
Despite these opposing profiles, in a parliamentary system like the Slovak one there are no blacks and whites but numerous greys. It is taken for granted that no party will alone obtain the votes necessary to govern and will have to rely on other political forces. Everything indicates that the Hlas party, with a centrist profile, can become the key to the government. In the event that he decides to make an agreement with Fico (this party is a split from Smer) if he wins the elections, all analysts point out that this alliance would serve to moderate the future government. But we should not rule out that Fico decides to negotiate with the extreme right or that Hlas supports Progressive Slovakia.
“I hope that any government that emerges from these elections will continue to support Ukraine,” Šimečka said this Saturday when he went to vote with his wife and daughter, while urging participation.
Having previously been prime minister, Fico is not unknown in the community halls. Many remember that despite his barking dog profile, in the past he proved to be much more pragmatic and pro-Western than was supposed. But this time the situation has changed significantly with the war in Ukraine. So far, the European capitals have passed the test of preserving unity with a relatively good grade, despite certain tensions coming from Budapest. Viktor Orban’s Hungary has on several occasions hindered the adoption of sanctions against Russia, but in the end the blood has not reached the river and the punishments have ended up being adopted unanimously with the green light from the Magyar country and after some concessions. The fear is that a victory for Fico will give wings to Orban and this alliance will spread to other countries.
After the invasion of Ukraine, the EU reached an agreement with kyiv to eliminate most tariffs on products entering the community club. Ukrainian grain has flooded the markets of bordering countries, causing prices to collapse, to the detriment of farmers. To address this situation, the Community Executive decided to temporarily allow Eastern countries to impose trade restrictions on grain for domestic consumption. The European Commission has decided to end these temporary measures, which has angered Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
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