In an unexpected turn of events, liberals secured victory in Slovakia's recent European elections, leaving Fico's party defeated.
In a recent European election, the liberal PS won for the second time with 27.8% of the votes and secured six seats, while the Smer-SD obtained 24.8% and five seats in the EU Parliament. The third place was taken by the right-wing extremist group Republika with 12.5%, sending two representatives to Europe. The Christian Democratic KDH and the Social Democratic Hlas-SD each won one seat.
The voter turnout was higher than in previous elections, reaching 34.4%. According to political analysts, the struggle between Fico and his opposition mobilized both the supporters of Smer-SD and PS. Daniel Kerekes, a political expert, stated that PS supporters were "worried about developments" in their country.
Fico, a pro-Russian populist, was shot by a 71-year-old attacker in May, leaving him severely injured. Despite his condition, he still managed to cast his vote on Saturday, a photo of which was shared on Facebook, showing him using a crutch to vote. He accused the opposition and their "aggressive and hate-filled politics" for the attack, leading many to speculate that his party would benefit from it. However, the results proved otherwise.
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The victory in Slovakia's European elections marked a significant defeat for Fico's party, Smer-SD. Robert Fico, the leading figure of Smer-SD, managed to cast his vote despite being injured in a shooting incident earlier this year. However, the opposition's mobilization seemed to have a different impact, leading to the liberals securing victory. The EU Parliament now has a new composition, with the liberals from the PS party and Fico's Smer-SD each obtaining six and five seats respectively. The result of the elections on Sunday was a surprise, as many had anticipated a potential benefit for Fico's party following the shooting incident.
