Slovakia election: Anti-Ukraine populist Fico faces ex-journalist Simecka
Allo Trends World
2023-10-01
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News Article :-
Slovaks are headed to the polls Saturday in a closely watched election that has the potential to complicate the Western response to Ukraine and put the country on a more illiberal, autocratic course.
The front-runner in the majority of polls by a whisper of a margin is Robert Fico, 59, a populist former prime minister who was forced out of power in disgrace five years ago and has made a comeback bid in a conspiracy theory-laden campaign, laced with pro-Russian and anti-American discourse.
A victory by Fico’s Smer party would be another sign of Europe’s tilt toward populist forces, which have capitalized on spiraling costs of living and anxiety over the Ukraine war. It could also turn an ally in the Western response to Ukraine into a spoiler, with Fico threatening to stop arms deliveries and block European Union sanctions against Russia.
During a toxic campaign, Fico tapped into the country’s longtime polarization toward Moscow and deep dissatisfaction with the previous government as he has parroted Russian propaganda and blamed “Ukrainian Nazis” for starting the war.
But the election remains too-tight-to-call. Virtually level with Fico’s party in the polls is Progressive Slovakia, headed by Michal Simecka, 39, a former journalist who would become the country’s youngest-ever prime minister if he took power. He has a drastically different vision for a pro-European, liberal Slovakia and has made last-minute gains in the polls.
A final IPSOS poll published Wednesday put support for Fico’s Smer party at 20.6 percent compared with 19.8 for Progressive Slovakia.
“It will be tight, but decency may prevail,” Simecka wrote in a Facebook post this week.
Whoever comes out ahead will have the first chance at cobbling together a coalition government, amid a fractured political scene where no party is expected to win more than a quarter of the vote. Much could ride on a raft of smaller parties that are on the threshold of reaching the minimum of 5 percent of the vote needed to enter parliament.
“Slovakia can choose a European, dignified future instead of chaos and isolation in these elections,” Simecka said.
Meanwhile, in an all-caps message on his page, Fico criticized Ukraine for its decision to take legal action in response to Slovakia banning its grain imports: “THE WORLD IS STARTING TO GET FED UP WITH ZELENSKY AND UKRAINE, BECAUSE THEY ARE UNGRATEFUL AND STILL UNSATISFIED!”
Simecka has warned that a fourth term for Fico could usher in an ally for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the E.U., with “major implications” for the bloc’s ability to deliver further arms to Ukraine and enact new rounds of sanctions.
While a Fico government would represent a shift in Ukraine policy from a neighbor that has led on deliveries of tanks and heavy weapons, analysts say the impact of his threat to cut off arms deliveries could be limited. Fico has only specified that he wil
News Article :-
Slovaks are headed to the polls Saturday in a closely watched election that has the potential to complicate the Western response to Ukraine and put the country on a more illiberal, autocratic course.
The front-runner in the majority of polls by a whisper of a margin is Robert Fico, 59, a populist former prime minister who was forced out of power in disgrace five years ago and has made a comeback bid in a conspiracy theory-laden campaign, laced with pro-Russian and anti-American discourse.
A victory by Fico’s Smer party would be another sign of Europe’s tilt toward populist forces, which have capitalized on spiraling costs of living and anxiety over the Ukraine war. It could also turn an ally in the Western response to Ukraine into a spoiler, with Fico threatening to stop arms deliveries and block European Union sanctions against Russia.
During a toxic campaign, Fico tapped into the country’s longtime polarization toward Moscow and deep dissatisfaction with the previous government as he has parroted Russian propaganda and blamed “Ukrainian Nazis” for starting the war.
But the election remains too-tight-to-call. Virtually level with Fico’s party in the polls is Progressive Slovakia, headed by Michal Simecka, 39, a former journalist who would become the country’s youngest-ever prime minister if he took power. He has a drastically different vision for a pro-European, liberal Slovakia and has made last-minute gains in the polls.
A final IPSOS poll published Wednesday put support for Fico’s Smer party at 20.6 percent compared with 19.8 for Progressive Slovakia.
“It will be tight, but decency may prevail,” Simecka wrote in a Facebook post this week.
Whoever comes out ahead will have the first chance at cobbling together a coalition government, amid a fractured political scene where no party is expected to win more than a quarter of the vote. Much could ride on a raft of smaller parties that are on the threshold of reaching the minimum of 5 percent of the vote needed to enter parliament.
“Slovakia can choose a European, dignified future instead of chaos and isolation in these elections,” Simecka said.
Meanwhile, in an all-caps message on his page, Fico criticized Ukraine for its decision to take legal action in response to Slovakia banning its grain imports: “THE WORLD IS STARTING TO GET FED UP WITH ZELENSKY AND UKRAINE, BECAUSE THEY ARE UNGRATEFUL AND STILL UNSATISFIED!”
Simecka has warned that a fourth term for Fico could usher in an ally for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the E.U., with “major implications” for the bloc’s ability to deliver further arms to Ukraine and enact new rounds of sanctions.
While a Fico government would represent a shift in Ukraine policy from a neighbor that has led on deliveries of tanks and heavy weapons, analysts say the impact of his threat to cut off arms deliveries could be limited. Fico has only specified that he wil
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