Slovakia’s three-time Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to return to power in the upcoming elections on Saturday, the 30th of September, and polls show his SMER-SSD party going head-to-head with the liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, according to Reuters.
Fico became pro-Russian while in opposition and, if he takes control over the government, Slovakia is likely to be aligning its ideals with the neighbouring Hungary, which has had disagreements with its Western partners on issues such as the rule of law, Ukraine and European Union (EU) issues. A PS administration would, in turn, continue to implement most of the policies of the current cabinet and the previous centre-right government, including support for Ukraine and close ties with EU and NATO partners.
One of the key issues in the upcoming Slovak elections is the country’s position on Ukraine. Robert Fico has pledged
to stop military supplies to Ukraine
and to provide only humanitarian aid. Fico has also expressed his opposition to military aid shipments passing through Slovakia, although he has admitted that a complete ban is impossible due to international obligations.
Fico has also taken a pro-Russian stance on sanctions against Russia. He has more than once criticised the sanctions as ineffective, arguing that they only harm the European economy. He is also
in favour of restoring relations with Russia after the war.
On the other hand, the PS supports sanctions.
On European issues, Robert Fico opposes Ukraine’s accession to the EU and changes to EU voting rules. He is in favour of closer cooperation with the Visegrad Group members, such as Poland and Hungary, which oppose the acceptance of migrants. In contrast,
the PS supports EU negotiations with Ukraine
and changes to voting.
On the rule of law and the fight against corruption in Slovakia. Mass protests against corruption in 2018 led to the resignation of Robert Fico. Since 2020, many cases have been brought against officials and company managers. Fico himself was accused of using information from the police and tax authorities to discredit political rivals, charges were later dropped. Analysts and foreign diplomats have pointed out that the EU will closely monitor all actions affecting the Slovak judicial system and that if the rule of law is deemed to be under threat, this could affect European subsidies.
On relations with the US, Fico is seeking to renew the Defence Cooperation Agreement with the US, but the PS has no such plans.
On the budget, the Slovak Ministry of Finance forecasts a public deficit of 6.85% of GDP this year, the highest in the euro area, and calls for significant austerity measures to curb the rising debt. Robert Fico has proposed a slower pace of budget consolidation, while his party plans to subsidise mortgage rates and introduce a special levy on banks, as well as taxing highly profitable industries. The PS is committed to a similar pace of budgetary consolidation and wants to reform social benefits to improve their targeting.
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