Robert Fico, leader of the PES-affiliated party Smer-SD, won the elections in Slovakia. For Social Democrats and Progressives, it is bad news. Once back in power, Fico may want to appear nicer, but he offers an old blend of oligarchic power veiled in social-nationalist populism. So, where do we invest our hopes? There’s a saying […]
Slovakia
The former conservative-liberal coalition government that was voted to power in February 2020 and initially benefitted from a constitutional majority, but finally lost power by a non-confidence vote in the Parliament at the end of 2022, paved the way for the election results in the early election in September 2023. The governments of Prime Ministers […]
It should not be surprising that a country feeling like a ship in a storm without a captain elects the strongest protector. However, one should not forget that there is no way to build a sustainable welfare state through culture wars, hate, fear, homophobia and xenophobia. People deserve solutions instead of shared anger. It is […]
2020
Slovakia was ripe for a political change after Fico, but the new government will continue with trends that were already dragging Slovakia off the European trajectory.
The election results have proven that the traditional left-right political divide in Slovakia has weakened. The election was won by the social populist Igor Matovič with promises to fight against corruption and oligarchy.