The Party of European Socialists (PES) has suspended the membership of Smer and Hlas after the two Slovakian parties decided to enter into a coalition with the Slovak National Party (SNS), whom the group describes as “far-right.”
A statement by the Socialist group (S&D) in the European Parliament emphasises that the coalition memorandum signed by all three parties is “not compatible with the progressive values and principles of the European family of Socialists and Social Democrats.” They went on to say:
The recent public comments and positions taken by Smer and Hlas party leaders regarding the Russian war against Ukraine, migration, the rule of law and the LGTBIQ community have raised serious concerns and have no place in the progressive family.
S&D announced on Thursday, October 12th that the group will suspend memberships of three Slovak MEPs, representing Smer. Previously, Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister António Costa also urged PES to take action against Smer, stating that, “if this party is to remain in this family, it doesn’t make deals with the far right, or if it does make deals with the far right, it leaves.” Austrian, Dutch and German socialists reportedly also requested PES to clarify its position on what it would do if Smer and Hlas were indeed to govern together with the Slovak National Party.
Slovakia’s former Prime Minister and leader of the left-wing nationalist-sovereigntist Smer Robert Fico on Wednesday, October 11th, reached a deal with social democratic Hlas and right-wing nationalist SNS to form a new government. Fico has pledged to scale back the country’s military support for Ukraine and to protect Slovakia against illegal migration and gender ideology. While Fico regularly criticises the EU and the United States for meddling in his country’s domestic affairs, the memorandum signed by the three parties promises to keep Slovakia’s basic foreign policy stance as a member of NATO and the EU, “while fully respecting sovereignty and national interests.”
Fico previously said he would not change his rhetoric on Ukraine and would rather “pay the price” of being excluded from PES. “If our exclusion from the international party is to be a price for pursuing a genuine left-wing agenda in Slovakia and voicing sovereign opinions, we are prepared to pay such a price,” he said.
