The pro-European and progressive party PS, led by the Oxford-trained MEP Michal Simecka, appears to have won the early general elections in Slovakia, with between 20 and 23.5% of the votes, the first exit polls indicate.
Second would be the social democratic party Smer, of former Prime Minister Robert Fico, with between 19 and 22% of the votes, despite having led all the polls before this Saturday’s elections.
If these estimates are met, the PS would have more options than the Smer to form a government in this Central European country, a neighbor and ally of Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, although local analysts warn that the real results could be different.
Slovakia, which is part of the European Union and NATO, was one of Ukraine’s greatest allies since the beginning of the war, donating its entire fleet of Soviet-produced combat aircraft and anti-aircraft systems.
Fico, considered pro-Russian and more critical of the West, intends to end military aid to Ukraine.
The third most voted list would be, according to these estimates, La Voz (Hlas) of former Social Democratic Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, with 11-12%.
Pellegrini, who today predicted a long post-electoral negotiation process, considers that his moderate formation will be key in the formation of a coalition, and would give preference to an alliance of a maximum of three parties.
One of the exit polls predicts the entry into Parliament of the nationalist SNS party, exceeding the 5% threshold, which could return to Parliament after an absent legislature.
In the past, this party had formed a coalition with the Social Democrats on several occasions, which in turn would make it easier for Fico to form a government.
Slovakia today held the ninth legislative elections of democracy, and the fourth early, with a high turnout of 67% at the beginning of the count.
