September 30, 2023, 10:55 p.m. BST
Updated 9 minutes ago
Image source: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
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Chairman of the Progressive Slovakia Party Michal Simecka
Polls show the Liberals have a slim lead in Slovakia’s elections over a pro-Moscow party led by populist former prime minister Robert Fico.
The pro-Moscow Smer-SD party was expected to win the vote, but polls suggest its popularity has fallen in recent days.
Smer has promised an immediate end to military support for Ukraine.
The counting of votes continues and the actual results will not be announced for a few hours.
If the liberal group Progressive Slovakia is confirmed as the winner, it will lead coalition negotiations to form the next government.
Progressive Slovakia, led by European Parliament deputy speaker Michal Simecka, was expected to win 23.5% of the vote, ahead of 21.9% for Mr Fico’s party, an election poll by the Focus agency for TV Markiza showed.
Mr Fico was forced to resign as prime minister following the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018.
“If Smer comes to government, we will not send a single round of ammunition to Ukraine,” he recently told his supporters.
The threat has raised concerns among members of the European Union and NATO, while also finding support on social media among Slovaks who traditionally have a positive view of Moscow.
Slovakia has been a loyal and faithful ally of Kiev, supplying surface-to-air missiles and helicopters and even donating its entire fleet of decommissioned MiG-29 fighter jets.
Progressive Slovakia represents the vision of an “open, tolerant, cosmopolitan society” and is committed to following a liberal line within the European Union on issues such as green politics and LGBTQ+ rights.
Smer dismisses this vision as “liberal fascism” and instead advocates for stability, order and social security. Mr Fico has also said he is concerned about the increase in the number of migrants traveling to Western Europe via Slovakia.
Neither Smer nor Progressive Slovakia is likely to win enough seats to form a government on their own. The new parliament could have up to 10 parties represented, from libertarians to right-wing extremists, which could make the coalition process lengthy and complicated.
Shortly after the election polls were published, Mr Simecka said: “It’s obviously going to be very close, between us and Smer, but also for the parties that may or may not get into parliament.”