by Alessandra Muglia
Slovakia election results live: The exit polls give Simecka an advantage, but he may not have the numbers to govern
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 is not ruled by inexperienced amateurs who drag us into adventures, both military and with migrants. 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 found itself 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 unity of the Western Front.
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The first exit polls
The first election polls, which should be viewed with caution (they proved wrong in the last election), show that the pro-EU liberal party Progressive Slovakia under Michal Simecka has a slight lead with 23.5% of the vote (report ). from 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 Social Democracy (Hlas-Sd), which emerged in 2020 from an offshoot of Fico’s Smer, appears to be decisive. Contested on both fronts, this young formation with 12.2% could prove to be a decisive factor in this consultation, where getting 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 at 6%, which wants to take Slovakia out of the EU and NATO, and the nationalists SNS at 4.4%, so out of the race for this exit poll and instead in for another poll .
Simecka’s PS, which instead 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 mystery of the alliances 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. Filip, 28, who explains in front of the polling station that he is not very interested in politics, says he voted for him, but I voted for him because my father, the typical shoemaker with broken shoes, is smiling. 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 that are far from ours, he seems disconnected from the Slovak reality, maybe he has been in Brussels for too long, he throws in that lady who is in the German one Embassy worked and now it creates an art gallery. 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, has confessed that the populist leader will leave Slovakia today if he wins: “It is too dangerous for me to stay.” With a leader intent on destroying the rule of law to avoid trial, the ultra-right gangs with him in power will feel like they are operating with impunity.
September 30, 2023 (modified October 1, 2023 | 00:52)
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