Slovakia's new coalition: social democratic Hlas considering refusing to ally with pro-Russian Smer

Dennikn reported the information.

"We met. We had clear ideas about what Slovakia should look like," Fico said about forming a coalition with Hlas or SNS.

Hlas expressed uncertainty about the desire to form a coalition with Smer, and they also want KDH as a partner, but not SNS. Hlas does not rule out the Progressive Slovakia party, which won 17% of the vote and came in second place after Smer. The election results have created not only the possibility of a coalition with Smer and SNS, but also with Smer and KDH, or a coalition with Progressive Slovakia, KDH, and SaS.

Peter Pellegrini, the head of the Hlas party, said that he supports commercial contracts for the production of weapons and ammunition by Slovak factories because he considers it important to preserve jobs and "does not decide whether these products will go to Ukraine or other countries." He also emphasized that military aid to Ukraine is no longer an option, as Slovakia already has empty warehouses. At the same time, if Smer wants to form a coalition with Hlas, it will have to adjust its foreign policy positions, because Hlas wants Slovakia to be a member of the EU and NATO.

Igor Matovič, head of the OĽANO party, said that his party would not hold talks on a future coalition because a coalition cannot be formed without the Hlas party, which Matovič considers a "mafia."

The head of the Progressive Slovakia party Michal Šimečka said he wants to do everything to prevent Robert Fico from forming a government.

The elections in Slovakia: details

On April 9, law enforcement officers in Slovakia closed a criminal case against the leader of the Smer-SD party, former Prime Minister Robert Fico, for publishing a video of the transfer of the S-300 air defense system to Ukraine.

Former Slovak Prime Minister and opposition leader Robert Fico, whose party is seeking to win early parliamentary elections in Slovakia this month, said he wants to cancel military and political support for Ukraine.

On September 27, polls showed that Robert Fico, leader of the Smer party, who has spoken out against Bratislava's unwavering support for Ukraine, may have an advantage in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

On September 30, 2023, parliamentary elections were held in Slovakia, where one of the leading parties was former Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer, which has a pro-Russian orientation.

According to the first exit polls, the pro-European party Progressive Slovakia led by Michal Šimečka.

According to the results from almost all polling stations counted as of the morning of October 1, Robert Fico's pro-Russian party Smer is winning the Slovak parliamentary elections.