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Early general elections were held in Slovakia on 30 September. The populist pro-Russian Smer-SD party led by former prime minister Robert Fico won with 24% of the votes. The international community watched the elections with fear as Fico took a pro-Russian stance and promised to cut off aid to Ukraine. Foundation Max van der Stoel spoke to Peter Kmec, MP for the third-largest party Hlas ('Voice'), to interpret the results and ask about the party's intentions. Hlas, a social-democratic party that split from Fico's party in 2020, received 15% of the votes and appears to be key to forming a coalition.
First of all, congratulations on becoming the third largest party. Are you happy with Hlas' results?
First, Hlas achieved a historic result in terms of the number of votes for a party that participated for the first time. So we are historically the strongest 'political virgin' in parliament. I am happy from this perspective. Of course, we expected better results compared to Smer, which won the elections. Now we are actually the weaker part of the centre-left.
How was the pre-election campaign? Was it more tense than usual in Slovakia?
Yes, it actually has two aspects. One aspect is that political campaigns are becoming increasingly tense in the democratic world as a whole. These external factors and clashes between right and left, conservatives and liberals, also affected the domestic Slovak campaign. Second, there was the radicalisation of politics in Slovakia, which affected the centre-right parties. The mobilisation of the electorate against Robert Fico and his party also made these elections highly controversial and very radical.
What were the most important issues for voters in Slovakia during this election?
Certainly the situation around the economy, as the previous government led the economy into an unmitigated disaster (political unrest caused economic stagnation in the country, ed.). Inflation rates are very high, the highest in the eurozone. People are frustrated and angry, which is why voters have punished the centre-right parties. Some of them did not make it to parliament and others were severely weakened. So the economy was the main factor, because many people are victims of this economic situation.
Second, we cannot ignore the situation in Ukraine, as Slovakia is a neighbouring country. This situation also dominated the political discussion ahead of the elections.
Many EU observers have followed the Slovak elections with some concern and the result is seen as a change in Slovakia's support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Do you agree with this?
Looking at the election results, one of the positive results is that most radical political parties did not make it to parliament. The far-right Republika, which openly expressed very radical views on the EU and even supported leaving NATO, did not make it. Most major political parties support the EU and NATO, so that is a very good start. Of course, in the political campaign there were different views on how to deal with the situation in Ukraine. Smer had his own position, especially on refusing more military aid. But there are statements by some party representatives that Smer meant only the ownership of weapons and equipment of the Slovak armed forces. These are more or less exhausted at the moment because most of it was already sent to Ukraine during the previous government. Since almost nothing can be sent from the reserves of the Slovak Armed Forces, there is also nothing to block. When it comes to production, especially in terms of munitions, I think there can be an agreement to continue with this military support.
Do you think Fico will be able to hold on to his pro-Russian expressions, or was this just part of his campaign rhetoric?
Let us assume that this was mainly to win support among the Slovak electorate. There is a significant part of the population that wants to stop the war as soon as possible, for the fundamental reason that it creates anxiety and potential danger for many Slovaks. Mr Fico made extensive use of this popular concern in his campaign. However, I am convinced that the new Slovak government will adhere to the EU and NATO common positions and that we will not break with them when it comes to supporting Ukraine.
Have you noticed an increased international focus on the elections? If so, how?
Yes, this has mainly to do with the fact that Slovakia is a neighbour of Ukraine and that we, as a country, are really crucial to maintain the unity of the international community when it comes to supporting Ukraine. For Slovakia, the main goal is to preserve Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, because Slovakia's future is based on these fundamental principles of international law. Critical voices questioning the EU position are strongly monitored by the international media and community. I am confident that the future government will continue to take a strong stance in favour of the EU and will not join those who undermine it.
What do you expect from the upcoming coalition formation? What do you think are the different coalition options?
There are two new political parties in the centre-right spectrum: the Christian Democratic Party and Progressive Slovakia. The intention was for them to work together, but on the first day after the elections it turned out that they have insurmountable differences. The most important development for us is the position of the Christian Democratic Party, because they could join the coalition with us (Hlas) and Smer, or the centre-right coalition with the Progressives, but none of that seems realistic for the Christian Democrats. They refuse to join either option because of internal divisions. For one part of the party, cooperation with Smer is a no-go, for the other part, cooperation with the Progressives is a no-go. This disqualifies them from any government and sends them to the opposition. This is a kind of impasse we are now trying to resolve, which pushes us towards a coalition with Smer. Analysts and the media rightly point out that a coalition between Smer and Hlas is more realistic than the centre-right coalition plus Hlas.
So your party is willing to work with Smer?
We will have to weigh all options. At the moment, the only option seems to be a coalition between Smer and Hlas, as the Christian Democrats refuse to participate in a coalition formation. If it is necessary to form a majority in parliament, and that need is there because of the dramatic economic situation and the need for a stable government, Hlas is open to it.
Which issues will Hlas fight for at the coalition table?
We have our top three priorities. As a social democratic party, we will look at portfolios such as the social agenda and the labour market. We focus on healthcare, especially on the quality of hospitals. We have a lot of money from the Recovery Plan for healthcare reform. And finally, support for regions, in different aspects. Our goal is to bring back investment in the regions, because there are many underdeveloped regions in Slovakia. We want to close the gap between east and west. This can only be done through an active regional policy.
We cannot compromise on the orientation of Slovakia's foreign policy. We will stick to our active membership of the EU and NATO. We will continue to actively support Ukraine and start talking about economic recovery. And, of course, the security situation in Europe is very sensitive, which requires us to find the best possible ways to stabilise the situation. So a very active security and foreign policy as part of the EU and NATO is also high on our list.
Slovakia's president Caputova has given Smer-SD leader Fico two weeks to form a new government. Fico will have to seek cooperation with both pro-Russian (SNS - Slovak National Party) and pro-EU parties (Hlas) to get a majority in Slovakia's 150-seat parliament. A coalition without Smer-SD is possible, but seems unlikely.
