FROM OUR REPORTER
BRATISLAVA – Robert Fico at the polling station with his elderly mother Michal Simecka and their little girl. The pro-Russian social populist, who, after throwing his ballot in the ballot box, hopes that “common sense will prevail” so that Slovakia “will not be managed by inexperienced amateurs who will lead us into adventures, both military and with migrants , involve”. And the pro-European liberal who hopes “that whatever government emerges from the elections will continue to support Ukraine.”
The two biggest challengers thus showed on the day of the vote which Slovakia they are fighting for. And for one night, the small state wedged between the Danube and the Carpathians was in the spotlight of European chanceries, eager to understand how a duel could bring Slovakia back into Russia’s sphere of influence and further weaken the compactness of the Western Front will end.
The first exit polls
The first election polls, which should be viewed with caution (they turned out to be wrong in the last election), show that the pro-European liberal party Progressive Slovakia, led by Michal Simecka, has a slight lead with 23.5% of the vote (Survey by the Focus agency for Tv Markiza). He could have prevailed against Fico’s Smer-SD party, which had been ahead in the polls for a long time, and would have remained at 21.9%. Even if all eyes are on the main opponents, the third force, Peter Pellegrini’s “Voce-Socialdemocracy” (Hlas-Sd), which emerged from an offshoot of Fico’s Smer in 2020, seems to be decisive. Contested on both fronts, this boy’s turnout of 12.2% could prove to be a turning point in this consultation, where gaining more votes is not enough to win. The leader of the first party can initially try to form a coalition government, but after the election will face the challenge of complicated negotiations to secure at least 76 of the 150 seats in parliament. Pellegrini, a moderate pro-European, has not yet commented on his side, but there are rumors that he might prefer Smer in exchange for the prime ministership. However, it is uncertain whether his support would be enough to give Fico a chance to govern. Fico’s other possible allies are the far-right “Republika” party, accredited at 6% and seeking Slovakia’s exit from the EU and NATO, and the nationalists of the SNS, reported at 4.4% and therefore for this reason out of the race are poll and instead in for another poll.
Simecka’s PS, which sees Slovakia’s future firmly anchored in the EU and NATO, has Richard Silik’s liberal Freedom and Solidarity Party (SaS) as a natural ally with 6.4%. Even for him, Pellegrini’s possible support may not be enough to govern. However, the alliance puzzle will only be resolved when it is known with certainty which of the smaller parties have crossed the threshold.
Silik itself seems to be the most popular in the quiet residential area of the historic center, dominated by the majestic castle, the city’s landmark on the Danube. Outside the polling station, 28-year-old Filip says he voted for him and smiles. Also from Porota, 67 years old: “I voted for Sulik, I like his economic program.” “Simecka doesn’t convince us, it seems to me that he has priorities far from ours, he seems disconnected from Slovak reality “Maybe he was in Brussels too long,” interjects this lady who worked in the German embassy and now runs an art gallery there. And there are those who have packed their bags: a well-known commentator, who has already been threatened on the street for his anti-Fico positions, confessed that he will leave Slovakia today if the populist leader wins: “It’s closed “It’s dangerous for me to stay there.” A leader who aims to destroy the rule of law to protect himself from lawsuits, with him in power the far-right gangs will feel they can act with impunity.”