The next Slovak parliamentary election will be held on 29 February 2020. All 150 members of the National Council will be elected and the leader of the resultant government will become the Prime Minister.
To Eduard Šebo, the electoral struggles in Slovakia seem to be like military word battles, he describes it using this terminology.
The baseline of conflicts coincides with the right-left division of political parties, except of Marian Kotleba’s party, Kotlebovci – Ľudová strana – Naše Slovensko, ĽSNS (Kotlebists – People’s Party Our Slovakia), which, as an extremist party [also qualified as neo-nazi, eds.], wants to stand above both parts of the political scene.
The Left party Smer-SD, (Direction-Social Democracy) despite not ruling alone, but with the other two right-wing parties, the national conservative Slovak National Party (SNS) and the inter-ethnic Most-Híd now finds itself alone and increasingly surrounded by enemies.
The Smer expected its former allies to cover its sides or back. But nobody expects them to do so, and nobody counts on them in this struggle. These parties do not decide the outcome on the front line but could be important in the post-election discussions to stop the government. It must be said that both of them are ready to join the Smer as well as the opposition.
The Most Híd fighters have escaped from the fight and are just stumbling in their descended trenches and waiting for a miracle to reach the 5% threshold. They vow in thin voices that they would no longer go into government with Smer.
The other ally of Smer was a young ‘handsome’ politician with a false title and a false captain’s rank, who wanted to show that the SNS was a new party and no Slotov [former SNS leader, eds.] successor with it had nothing more in common. He considered the condemnation of its two ministers as an end of the corrupt SNS.
He failed to accomplish this task because he showed that he was always completely lost in abstract tasks and discussions. Nor did it help Smer with its affairs and was just a burden for Smer.
So Smer lost all allies and remained alone as a legendary pole in the fence, still it has not collapsed after all these attacks and wants to win this battle and to win parliamentary elections for the fifth time. Today, it is willing to pay with all of the party activities to participate in the government, with their ideology, with their warriors, with their voters, and finally with the whole Slovakia.
The leader of Smer party Robert Fico is an experienced warrior and strategist who does not want to sell his skin below the price.
After the murder of Kuciak [an investigative journalist, murdered in the beginning of 2018 eds.] and his fiancée, he retired as Prime Minister and still calls for the party’s fifth victory. Since its coalition potential is negligible at the moment, he wants to mobilize the loyal ones to save the welfare state.
Possible Coalition of Social Democrats With The Neo-Nazi / Extreme Right?
With today’s 17-20% Smer only has a chance of victory if it manages to scatter the opposition and would agree with the combatant ĽS Naše Slovensko which would theoretically ensure a possible formation of the government.
So, paradoxically, the only possible significant potential partner of Smer remained ĽS Naše Slovensko, against which for many years it mobilized political and civilian forces.
The struggle party’s power stems from injustice and corruption cases, that the ruling Party Smer has tolerated for years. In the case that a coalition government between the two emerges from these elections, it would be capable to solve these problems, that party would become useless.
On the right side of the battlefield we find a mix of opposition parties whose program is very brief and simple: "End the dominance of the Smer!"
The positions of the parties on this side of the barricade are variable. Once there is Kiska [former president, founded 2019 the party For the People, eds.] in the foreground, sometimes Matovič (leader of party Ordinary People). After the murder of J. Kuciak and the videos of Kočner and Trnka [main suspect in the murder of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová and the general attorney, eds.] due to Slovakia’s lagging in many areas, it seems that Mr. Matovič is taking over this area. This politician grew up and, despite posing as a jester from the royal court, whose duty is always to tell the truth, he most likely will no longer lose his leadership position and can bring his anti-system program to a victorious end.
Smer’s Programme
Smer’s past programmes, based on completing highways, promoting science, solving health and education problems, are more of a minefield, which cannot be passed, because repeating promises the fifth time would discredit the party. Smer seeks to rule out the discussion of corruption affairs in which the top officials of the party were involved and therefore focuses its attention on the future !!!
In all management manuals it is emphasized that without analyzing the state of the present and the past, it is impossible to build a rational program of change.
The Smer Party bases its election program on three priorities:
1. Protection of the welfare state.
2. Increasing the income of all citizens.
3. Protection of the traditional family.
I. It consists of capping the retirement age, the parental allowance, free trains for students and pensioners, even free lunches … which, however, the opposition parties accept and none of them ask for their cancellation in election programs.
II. Smer has contributed significantly to wage growth in recent years, introducing bonuses for work over the weekend, holidays, night work … all these are facts.
The latest proposals for 13 payments of pensions a year and a double increase in child allowances are possible. It is only necessary to say whether this will be at the expense of defense or another sector.
In any case, it is necessary to pay attention to it, because raising incomes without relation to the performance of our economy and business can be a dangerous project, of which may be the loss of our competitiveness at the end and also the end of the main source from which the welfare state can be financed.
III. The traditional family protection program is important not only for the family itself but also serves as a starting point for criticizing the cultural values advocated by the Eurosocialists. For this position (on migration, cooperation with the SNS), the Smer has been ostracized several times by the Socialist International, which brings together all social democracies.
In our election context, however, several political parties are defending the traditional family. Looking in more detail, we see that it is more a marketing theme because their ideas are far away from the real actions and ideas of top politicians.
If we look at the side of the party Sme rodina (We Are Family) and the ideas of its leader Mr. Kollar, who has ten children with nine women, we must at least be embarrassed about what family is he talking …
We have to tell him that his concept of a family is not a classic family, but only a promiscuous model, which is in sharp contrast not only with the 10 commandments of God but also a common folk concept.
Which Basic Questions Should Citizens Answer In These Elections?
After a very simplified commenting on the programs of the main front forces, I ask whether it is possible from a number of numbers, slogans, plans … to formulate a brief question with which each block wants to pass on 29th February 2020 before the citizens of Slovakia. This is not easy, because the opposing parties blame each other and throw mud at each other, so it is not easy to formulate the intentions of either party. So far, both sides agree only that there is indeed an objective social demand for change. However, it is diametrically different in how to achieve it and what its content should be.
In my opinion, Smer asks citizens: “Do you want to have social security and want the state to be managed professionally as before? If yes, choose Smer, elect its chairman! ”
The opposition asks citizens: “Do you want us to present truthful accounts from the Smer government and to draw criminal consequences if necessary? If so, vote for opposition parties, vote for Mr. Matovic! ”
These are perhaps the basic questions that the main parties want to ask citizens.
All we have to do is wish them a happy choice.