The opposition Social Democratic Party “Course – New Democracy” of former Prime Minister Robert Fico has won the parliamentary elections in Slovakia held on Saturday, the republic’s statistics office said.
According to data from 95.75% of polling stations, it gained 23.58% of the vote, while the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, led by Vice President of the European Parliament Michal Šimečka, received 16.37%.
As noted in exit polls, the far-right has apparently managed to overcome the five percent threshold, and will now be represented in the Slovak parliament.
Fico is known as a politician who opposes the continuation of arms supplies to Ukraine. He also claimed that the West’s anti-Russian sanctions are ineffective and promised to use his veto over Ukraine’s NATO membership application. Shimechka is his opposite, holding liberal and pro-Western views and promising voters to deepen European cooperation, The Guardian notes.
