BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) \u2014 Voters in Slovakia cast ballots Saturday in an early parliamentary election that pits a populist former prime minister who campaigned on a pro-Russia and anti-American message against a liberal, pro-West newcomer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on which of them prevails, the election could reverse the small eastern European country\u2019s\u00a0support for neighboring Ukraine\u00a0in the war with Russia, threatening to break\u00a0a fragile unity\u00a0in the European Union and NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Prime Minister Robert Fico, 59, and his leftist Smer, or Direction, party have vowed to withdraw Slovakia\u2019s military support for Ukraine in\u00a0Russia\u2019s war, if his attempt to return to power is successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smer\u2019s main challenger is Progressive Slovakia, a liberal party formed in 2017 and led by Michal Simecka, 39, a member of the European Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referring to his rival, Fico said Saturday he wished his country would not be run by \u201camateurs\u201d without experience in politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fico, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, opposes EU sanctions on Russia, questions whether Ukraine can force out the invading Russian troops and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. He has repeated Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s unsupported claim that the Ukrainian government\u00a0runs a Nazi state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fico also campaigned against immigration and LGBTQ+ rights and threatened to dismiss investigators from the National Criminal Agency and the special prosecutor who deal with corruption and other serious crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Progressive Slovakia sees the country\u2019s future as firmly tied to its existing membership in the EU and NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The party vowed to continue Slovakia\u2019s support for Ukraine. It also favors LGBTQ+ rights, a rarity among the major parties in a country that is a stronghold of conservative Roman Catholicism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery single vote matters,\u201d the party\u2019s head, Michal Simecka, said on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Popular among young people, the party won the 2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia in coalition with the Together party, gaining more than 20% of the vote. But it narrowly failed to win seats in the national parliament in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No party is expected to win a majority of seats Saturday, meaning a coalition government will need to be formed. The party that secures the most votes typically gets the first chance to put together a government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polls indicate that seven or eight other political groups and parties might surpass a 5% threshold needed for representation in the 150-seat National Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among them is the left-wing Hlas (Voice), led by Fico\u2019s former deputy in Smer, Peter Pellegrini. They parted ways after Smer lost the previous election in 2020 but their possible reunion would boost Fico\u2019s chances to rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important for me that the new coalition would be formed by such parties that can agree on the priorities for Slovakia and ensure stability and calm,\u201d Pellegrini said after voting in Bratislava.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The others include the Republic, a far-right group led by former members of the openly\u00a0neo-Nazi People\u2019s Party Our Slovakia\u00a0whose members use Nazi salutes and want Slovakia out of the EU and NATO.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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