Interesting that it’s reported he’s a left populist- His party is not the west leaning liberal party.. So leftists and liberals are not the same. I would agree with that. The Liberals, here in Canada, are technocrats or autocrats. They aren’t leftists, though they are certainly Liberal
A populist former prime minister and his leftist party have won early parliamentary elections in Slovakia, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message, according to complete results announced Sunday.
Saturday’s election was a test for the small eastern European country’s support for neighboring Ukraine in its war with Russia, and the win by Fico could strain a fragile unity in the European Union and NATO.
Fico, 59, has vowed to withdraw Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine in Russia’s war if his attempt to return to power succeeds. “People in Slovakia have bigger problems than Ukraine,” he said.
In other countries, including Germany, France, and Spain, populist parties skeptical of intervention in Ukraine also command significant support. Many of these countries have national or regional elections coming up that could tip the balance of popular opinion away from Kyiv and toward Moscow.
A liberal, pro-West newcomer, the Progressive Slovakia party, took second place, with 18% of the votes, or 32 seats.
Its leader Michal Simecka, who is deputy president of the European Parliament, said his party respected the result. “But it’s bad news for Slovakia,” he said. “And it would be even worse if Robert Fico manages to create a government.”
So Liberal- pro- West is not the same as leftist, populist-
Fico opposes EU sanctions on Russia, questions whether Ukraine can force out the invading Russian troops and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO. He proposes that instead of sending arms to Kyiv, the EU and the U.S. should use their influence to force Russia and Ukraine to strike a compromise peace deal.
Fico’s critics worry that his return to power could lead Slovakia to abandon its course in other ways, following the path of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and to a lesser extent of Poland under the Law and Justice party.
“It can’t be ruled out that he will be looking for a partner who uses similar rhetoric, and the partner will be Viktor Orbán,” said Radoslav Stefancik, an analyst from the University of Economics in Bratislava.
Orbán welcomed Fico’s victory.
“Always good to work together with a patriot,” he posted on X, the former Twitter.
One reply on “A populist leftist wins in Slovakia”
Hi Penny: I’m kind of dumb about what “Liberal” means, but actions do speak louder than words. If Trudeau were Liberal, for instance, he would not have smashed the Freedom Convoy, he would have negotiated with them.
And if Fico knew anything, or at least were honest about the US’s true involvement in Ukraine (bio-warfare labs), he wouldn’t be telling Ukraine and Russia to kiss and make up, he would be telling ‘NATO’ to come clean about who really owns the labs that Putin knows are a serious threat to Russia — and to the world, for that matter.
https://archive.ph/OEA17
Putin could have smashed those labs a long time ago — if they weren’t so deadly to ALL of the adjacent territory.