BREAKING

Slovakia's President issues mandate for government formation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Oct 2023 21:22
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President Zuzana Caputova intends to grant leftist Robert Fico the authority to form a government in Slovakia following Smer's victory in Saturday's parliamentary election.

Chairman of Smer-Social Democracy party Robert Fico, center, discusses the results of an early parliamentary election during a press conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 1, 2023. (AP)

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova has formally given the Smer party a mandate to form a new government, according to Teraz.sk news agency.

Under the leadership of former prime minister Robert Fico, the leftist Smer party won the parliamentary election on Saturday, amassing nearly 23% of the vote

Fico and the Smer party have a strong stance against providing military assistance to Ukraine. However, the Slovakian party must receive the support of at least 76 members of parliament to form a government.

Smer currently holds 42 seats meaning that it will need to form a coalition government with a number of smaller parties.

"Those were democratic and lawful elections. I am glad that no one questions it," the country's President stated.

Caputova also said that he intends to grant Fico authority to form the cabinet.

For his part, Fico urged patience from Slovak citizens as the government is being formed, saying it may take up to two weeks. If the country fails to vote in a government, it may face another round of parliamentary elections.

A viable option for Smer is to ally with third-place leftist Hlas and the Slovak National Party, which have won 27 seats and 10 seats respectively, to form a simple majority.

The defeated liberal Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka has promised to block Fico from taking over.

Smer's victory: A sign of growing anti-West ideals

Slovakia, historically sympathetic to Russia, has seen a significant shift in its political landscape. Fico's election platform included stopping arms shipments to Ukraine and placing equal blame for the war on the West and Kiev.

This result coincides with growing concerns in both the US and the EU regarding the billions of dollars in military aid allocated to Ukraine amid increasing calls to redirect these funds toward domestic priorities.

In Central Europe, a region once characterized by strong anti-Russian sentiment, perceptions of the war have become more nuanced.

Fico's victory underscores this perspective, which is fueled by social conservatism, nationalism, and promises of generous welfare programs.