The parliamentary elections in Slovakia have come to an end. In case you have been busy and are looking for a simple summary of the results and their consequences without needing to read a lengthy analysis, you’re in luck. Europe Elects condensed all the relevant bits into a package of 150 words:
The final results marked a rather decisive turning point in Slovakian politics. Toppling the party that has dominated the Slovak political field since the turn of the millennia—the centre-left Smer (S&D)—the election was won by the centre-right OĽaNO (EPP). OL’aNO secured 53 out of 150 seats in the national parliament, up from only 19 four years ago. Possible coalition partners for OL’aNO include the libertarian SaS (ECR), right-wing SR (ID) and the centre-right ZL’ (EPP).
The centre-left Smer, embroiled in scandals, suffered a loss with their number of seats decreasing from 49 to 38. It is likely that the privilege of forming a government slips away from the party for the first time since 2010. Smer had held the position of the biggest party in the parliament since 2002.
If you have slightly more time and interest, here’s the same in 350 words:
The Slovakian national parliament election for the year 2020 took place last Saturday. The exit polls sent shockwaves through the Slovakian politics, only to be followed by another wave seven hours later when all the votes had been tallied. Overall, the results indicate that the Slovakian people desire a change. This change will need to be provided by centre-right OĽaNO (EPP)—winning 53 out of 150 seats in the national parliament—together with two or three junior coalition partners. Most probable candidates for partners are centre-right ZĽ (EPP), libertarian SaS (ECR) or right-wing SR (ID).
The largest party, OL’aNO (EPP), won the plurality with a 25% vote share. A big-tent party, it is a mixture of independents, activists and personalities. Generally inclined towards pro-EU stance, it is still a heterogeneous group with conservatives, moderates and liberals alike. OL’aNO’s loud anti-corruption campaign appealed to the electorate, picking up voters from other centrist and centre-right parties.
The center-left Smer (S&D) came second with 18% of the votes, albeit losing 11 seats and the position of the largest party. Smer had been in the government for the last eight years and had been linked to many corruption scandals, resulting in its decline. However, the party did not do as badly as expected and exit polls predicted. Smer was governing with two junior parties—the centre-right Most (EPP) and the national-conservative SNS (*→ECR)—which both failed to cross the electoral threshold, dropping to 2% and 3% respectively.
Of the smaller parties, the centrist and relatively liberal PS/S coalition (RE|EPP) faced a disappointing night, missing the 7% electoral threshold for coalitions with only 0.04 percentage points, 926 votes. Three additional parties managed to cross the electoral threshold—libertarian SaS (ECR), the centre-right ZL’ (EPP) and the right-wing SR (ID). At least two, if not all of these parties, are looking probable to form a centre-right, pro-EU, socially status quo coalition with the winning party OĽaNO.
