By unanimous decision, the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament will permanently exclude Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s party, Smer.
The move had been rumored by various outlets, and now Politico is reporting that the vote actually took place last Thursday, with PES highlighting its inability to tolerate Fico’s continued dealings with both Russia and China.
Fico, notably, has pursued a pro-peace policy in relation to the war in Ukraine, calling an end to the bloodshed and an immediate ceasefire.
PES has made it clear that Smer is no longer aligned with the left’s core values and accuses Fico’s government of “consistently undermining the rule of law,” writes Mandiner. Fico’s party had already been suspended once back in October 2023 after Smer formed a government with the Slovak National Party (SNS).
Smer’s five MEPs will now either continue their work in the European Parliament as independents or try to join another parliamentary group.
There has been no official confirmation from either PES or Smer.
Fico is the survivor of an assassination attempt, which took place in May 2024. He also has repeatedly called for guarantees of energy supply in the event of further sanctions against Russia.
Lucia Yar, MEP from the strongest Slovak opposition party, Progressive Slovakia, told Euractiv, “Fico cooperates not only with nationalists, but also with Putin, Xi Jinping and other authoritarian leaders.” She also predicts that such pressure “will open the eyes of many voters.”
Notably, such rhetoric nearly resulted in Fico’s death, with the assassin shooting the Slovak prime minister multiple times last year. He was allegedly angered over Fico’s stance on the war in Ukraine, with that anger fueled by the extreme rhetoric being directed at the Slovak leader.
Anton Spisak, an analyst at the Centre for European Reform, told the same portal that “this decision was long overdue.” However, he believes its impact will be limited. His “exclusion is unlikely to have a serious domestic impact, as Fico has consciously positioned himself as an opposition to the EU mainstream, so his supporters do not feel the move is a threat,” Spisak said.
Just last week, as Mandiner reminded its readers, Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), called Fico a “fool” and struck out at Hungarian PM Orbán as well during an EP session.
“We cannot allow Orbán and that fool Fico to turn the European Union into a crazy organization,” he stated.
