Slovakia Selection Anti-Ukraine Populist Fico Faces Ex-Journalist Semicka

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#slovakia #elections #ukraine #france #live #simecka #robert #fico #election #2023

The frontrunner in race ahead of the general elections to be held in Slovakia on September 30 is a former prime minister who could break West's united support for Ukraine. BRATISLAVA — Slovaks went polls Saturday in a closely watched election that has potential to complicate West's response Ukraine and set country on a more illiberal, autocratic path. ArrowRight Leading by narrow margin in most polls is Robert Fico, 59, a populist former prime minister who was shamefully ousted from power five years ago and is making conspiracy-theory-laden comeback bid. The victory of Fico's Smer party would be another sign of Europe's turn toward populist forces capitalizing on rising living costs and anxiety about a Ukrainian war. It could also turn an ally into a spoiler in the West's response to Ukraine, with Fico threatening to halt arms deliveries and thwart European Union sanctions on Russia. During a toxic campaign, Fico capitalized on country's long-standing polarization against Moscow and deep dissatisfaction with the previous government by parroting Russian propaganda and blaming "Ukrainian Nazis" for starting war. There also Progressive Slovakia, which is almost on par with Fico's party in the polls and chaired by former journalist Michal Simecka, 39, who would be the country's youngest prime minister if he comes to power. He has a very different vision for a pro-European, liberal Slovakia and has made last-minute gains in the polls. The latest IPSOS poll, published on Wednesday, found support for Fico's Smer party was at 20.6 percent, while Progressive Slovakia's was at 19.8 percent. “It will be tight, but kindness may prevail,” Simecka wrote in a Facebook post this week. In fragmented political environment where no party is expected to win more than a quarter of the vote, whoever comes out ahead will have the first chance to put together coalition government. Much can be achieved depending on a number of smaller parties that are on the verge of reaching the minimum 5 percent vote share required to enter parliament. "In these elections, Slovakia can choose a European, honorable future instead of chaos and isolation," Simecka said. Meanwhile, a message published on his page in all capital letters, Fico criticized Ukraine for its decision to take legal action response to Slovakia's ban on grain imports “THE WORLD IS BEGINNING TO GET TIRED OF ZELENSKY AND UKRAINE, BECAUSE THEY ARE ungrateful AND ISTILL NOT SATISFIED!” Fico reflected on his dissatisfaction with Slovakia's ruling coalition, which collapsed after a no-confidence vote late last year, leading to an interim government. However, Simecka's party failed to win seats in the national parliament in 2020, leaving it untainted. Fico, meanwhile, remained dogged by allegations of corruption but dismissed them as an attempt by the government to erase political opposition. "We don't want to hand country over to the mafia," said Anna Frankova, 29, who was shopping at farmers' market in central Bratislava with her husband and father-in-law after voting for Simecka's party on Saturday. . "We are still young, we want to have a future here, and our future is in the West," she said. But like many Slovaks, he said he was fed up with the political scene being besieged by infighting. The current caretaker government of technocrats seems like a better option than the political parties vying for power, she said. "If Fico wins, we will leave the country," said her husband Peter Frank, 38, who also voted for Progressive Slovakia, saying that was "less bad". "I will vote for whoever is against Fico," he added. At polling station near the baroque castle in capital's Old Town, 56-year-old Peter Hladky had just voted for Fico's Smer party. "I want a strong leader, someone who knows what he's doing," he said. He expressed support for Fico's "Christian values" and his stance towards Ukraine. “How many conflicts are there in the world? So why would a country with a population of five million rush to solve these problems? He talked about the war on the border. Simecka warned that Fico's fourth term could bring an ally in the European Union in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and have "significant consequences" for the bloc's ability to send more weapons to Ukraine and impose new rounds of sanctions. While Fico's government represents a shift in Ukrainian policy from a neighbor that led to deliveries of tanks and heavy weapons, analysts say his threat to cut off arms deliveries may have limited impact. Fico merely stated that Slovakia would stop sending weapons from its already depleted military stockpiles. He sidestepped a threat to halt supplies from the country's arms manufacturers, which are stockpiling Ukraine with much-needed artillery shells. Analy