Three times the charm. In the 3rd election in fresh months, the winner was Progressívne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia) with 27.81 percent of the vote. It was followed by the ruling Smer (24.76 percent) and the fascist Republic (12.53 percent).
No uncertainty fresh assassination of the Prime Minister helped mobilize voters. This resulted in evidence attendance for EP elections – 34.38 percent. However, a akin increase occurred on both sides of the barricade.
It is worth noting that Smer, due to its home policy, which is clearly anti-EU, has long made it clear to its voters that the EU is not important, and it is so hard to wonder that many of them are inactive at home.
Just before the voter silence, Prime Minister Fico tried to influence the voters, who spoke publically for the first time since the assassination. Of course, he would not be himself if he had not criticised Western democracy, opposition and media, and, on election day, he did not play the appropriate play. Although he has already left the infirmary and is undergoing home treatment, Fico published a photograph on election day, in which he gives his voice dressed in infirmary pajamas. It worked a little, but it wasn't a mobilization that could warrant Smer a 3rd consecutive win.
This is mainly due to low turnout in agrarian areas and vice versa, advanced turnout in cities, which has brought success to Progressive Slovakia (PS). Another reason for winning the PS was the strong leader of Şudovít Ódor (former prime minister in the method government) and a firm attitude towards pro-European politics. People who consider the European Union crucial see the PS as a organization that has it in its political agenda.
There were, of course, voters who voted for PS for pragmatic reasons so that PS could beat Smer in these elections. Their first choice could have been another parties, but this time it was to simply “do” Smer in these troubled times. This was reflected in the mediocre ratings of the SaS (4.92 percent), Slovensko (1.98 percent) or politician (4.68 percent).
Non-attached
The result of the election was confirmed primarily by the fact that Slovakia is simply a divided country. Although the pro-European organization has yet won, there is simply a clear trend in the increasing popularity of right-wing parties, which can besides be seen in another EU countries. Progressive Slovakia has won six seats, KDH will send 1 Euro MP to Brussels, but 8 Slovak mandates have been won by organization representatives who are not associated in any European faction due to their policies.
Just after the parliamentary elections suspended membership of the Smer and Hlas organization in the European Socialists group. The main reason for this decision is Robert Fica's gross departure from the values of European Socialists, and the creation of a coalition with a extremist right-wing SNS party. Given the fact that Members of the Parliament have gotten more extremist from Smeru, specified as Erik Kaliíčk and ̄uboš Blaha, it is expected that Smeru will be further removed from the European Socialists alternatively than suspended in European structures.
Among these six Euro MPs from Smeru and Hlasu are 2 erstwhile members of the fascist organization Şudová Strana Naše Slovensko Mariana Kotleba, who founded their neofascist organization Republic. Milan Uhrík and Milan Mazurek are besides not associated in any faction.
If Smeru, Hlasu and the Republic members are outside the factions, they will be practically useless, and the real impact on European policy will be on MEPs in the Rhine Europe and Miriam Lexmann (the KDH messenger) in the EPP.
Biggest loser – Smer coalitions
It seems that the biggest surprise, though somewhat expected, is the immense decline in the popularity of Hlas among voters. Now. After the parliamentary election, I announcedThat the coalitions would be absorbed by Smer. And so it does, though much faster than anyone expected. After Peter Pellegrini won the presidential election, he had to step distant from organization politics, and the organization parliament late decided that his successor would be Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok.
This shows that in the case of this party, its leader was the most important, which was confirmed by the polls, in which voters of Hlas openly said that they were voting for Hlas almost exclusively due to Pellegrini. On the another hand, it is besides worth adding that Hlas was almost invisible in the Euro-election, but it was the party's fault, which made it seem that all the forces and money had invested in the presidential election and now it has nothing left.
Sucking out voters can besides be seen in the case of the second coalitionist – SNS, although here voters took over not only Smer, but besides fascism Republic. SNS placed all its ministers and advanced officials on the list of candidates, headed by organization president Andrej Danko, who dreamed of a good result. The mandate to the EP would be his bargaining leverage in talks inside the coalition, due to the fact that although SNS is the smallest coalition, he seems to have the most to say: 10 MPs of this organization decide whether Fico has a majority in parliament. Danko takes advantage of it all the time – he now demands changes in the coalition agreement and the marshal's position, even though his organization barely got into the Slovak parliament.
The Danko organization recorded the consequence in the EP election 1.9%, which is the failure of the SNS and will surely translate into a decrease in parliamentary policy influence.
In national policy, Smer will now be strengthened. However, the consequence of the Euro elections gives hope that everything is not lost unless Progressive Slovakia sits on the laurels and draws conclusions from erstwhile election defeats.
