Slovaks are voting in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the long dominant but scandal-tainted leftist party that governed on an anti-immigration platform.
According to the latest polls, a coalition of several center-right parties is emerging as a favorite to win Saturday’s ballot and form a new government for Slovakia.
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Slovaks are voting in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the long dominant but scandal-tainted leftist party that governed on an anti-immigration platform.
Matovic, 46, has made fighting corruption and attacking Fico the central tenet of his campaign. An anti-corruption drive has been in the party's program since he established it 10 years ago. He is ahead in opinion polls with some 19%.
Fico’s current coalition partners, the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party and a party of ethnic Hungarians, might not win any seats, polls suggest.
All other parties have ruled out cooperation with the party that advocates the legacy of the Slovak Nazi puppet WWII state.
FILE - In this Monday, April 29, 2019 file photo, Marian Kotleba, Chairman of the far-right People's Party Our Slovakia, arrives at the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia. Slovaks vote Saturday Feb. 29, 2020, in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek, File)
FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019 file photo, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini delivers a speech at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic. Slovaks vote Saturday Feb. 29, 2020 in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek, File)
The center-right Ordinary People, led by Igor Matovic, is the front-runner, followed by Smer-Social Democracy, led by populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico.
People vote at a polling station during general elections in Trnava, Slovakia, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Slovaks vote Saturday in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek)
Matovic, 46, has made fighting corruption and attacking Fico the central tenet of his campaign. An anti-corruption drive has been in the party's program since he established it 10 years ago. He is ahead in opinion polls with some 19%.
If he wins as predicted, Matovic is the likeliest candidate for prime minister. He is expected to govern with a coalition of the liberal Progressive Slovakia/Together, the conservative For People established by former President Andrej Kiska, and the pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party.
Fico’s Smer has been in power for most of the past 14 years. It gained 28.3% in the last elections in 2016 after campaigning on an anti-migrant ticket. But the party was damaged by political turmoil following the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancée and is expected to receive around 15%.
A woman organizes ballot papers at a polling station during general elections in Trnava, Slovakia, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Slovaks vote Saturday in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek)
Fico’s current coalition partners, the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party and a party of ethnic Hungarians, might not win any seats, polls suggest.
In a worrying development, an extreme far-right party whose members use Nazi salutes and which wants Slovakia out of the European Union and NATO is forecast to strengthen its hold in the 150-seat parliament, to become the third most popular party in the country of just under 5.5 million.
The far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia won 8% and 14 seats in Parliament in 2016 and this time might get about 10%.
People vote at a polling station during general elections in Trnava, Slovakia, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Slovaks vote Saturday in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek)
All other parties have ruled out cooperation with the party that advocates the legacy of the Slovak Nazi puppet WWII state.
FILE - In this Friday, March 16, 2018 file photo, candles are placed in memory of slain journalist and his fiancee during a rally in Bratislava, Slovakia. The 2018 killings of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, triggered major street protests and a political crisis that led to the collapse of Prime Minister Robert Fico's three-party coalition government. Slovaks vote Saturday Feb. 29, 2020, in parliamentary elections. (AP PhotoDarko Vojinovic, File)
FILE - In this Monday, April 29, 2019 file photo, Marian Kotleba, Chairman of the far-right People's Party Our Slovakia, arrives at the Supreme Court in Bratislava, Slovakia. Slovaks vote Saturday Feb. 29, 2020, in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek, File)
FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019 file photo, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini delivers a speech at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic. Slovaks vote Saturday Feb. 29, 2020 in parliamentary elections widely expected to unseat the country's long-dominant but scandal-tainted center-left party that governed on an anti-immigration platform, in favor of a coalition headed by center-right populists. (AP PhotoPetr David Josek, File)