Europe | Guess who’s back!

Slovakia gives pro-Russian populist nationalism another win

The country could join the EU’s awkward squad if Robert Fico forms a government

Robert Fico, who is set to lead a new government in Slovakia, arrives at his party's headquarters
Image: AP
|BRATISLAVA

“GUESS WHO’S back!” wrote Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, in a happy tweet. Robert Fico, twice prime minister of Slovakia, fell from power in 2018 after the murder of a journalist investigating high-level corruption, which led to mass protests. Now he looks set to lead his country once again. Mr Fico’s Smer party took 23% of the votes, coming first in an election on September 30th. So he may lead a coalition government including a party that once split from his own, plus an extreme right-wing party whose leader has long been one of Russia’s staunchest fans.

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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Guess who’s back!”

Europe October 7th 2023

From the October 7th 2023 edition

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