Pro-Nato progressive party leads in Slovakia election, say exit polls | FT |

Tight margin means Michal Šimečka might struggle to form a stable coalition government if he wins

A liberal, pro-Nato party was ahead in Slovakia's elections on Saturday, according to exit polls, but with a slim margin over the party of an anti-Ukraine former prime minister, which could complicate the formation of a solid government coalition. 

Michal Šimečka and his liberal Progressive Slovakia party won 23.5 per cent of the votes, putting him ahead of former premier Robert Fico and his Smer party on 21.9 per cent, according to an exit poll by agency Focus for TV Markiza. Fico had been the frontrunner for most of the campaign.

After counting votes during most of the night ...

Slovakia election: pro-Moscow former PM on course to win with almost all votes counted | Politico |

Robert Fico's Smer party was ahead of rivals Progressive Slovakia in vote that could fuel fears about Slovakia's future foreign policy orientation

Former Prime Minister Robert Fico's leftist-populist Smer party won Saturday's election in Slovakia after promising to stop sending weapons to Ukraine, to block Kyiv's potential NATO membership and to oppose sanctions on Russia.

With 98 percent of ballots counted in the country of 5.5 million people, Smer had 23.4 percent of the vote, ahead of the liberal, Western-oriented Progressive Slovakia by nearly seven percentage points and almost 200,000 votes. The election winner gets the first chance to form a majority in the 150-seat parliament

Fico's campaign has raised alarm across the Continent amid fears that he will shift Slovakia to the anti-Ukraine camp alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

"If Smer enters government, we will not send a single round of ammunition to Ukraine," Mr Fico recently told supporters.

Mr Fico brushes aside the label "pro-Russian politician", but this result will be celebrated in Moscow, and met with alarm in Brussels and Washington.

The threat has led to concerns among European Union and Nato members, while gaining support on social media among Slovaks who traditionally have warm sentiments towards Moscow.

• The populist ex-PM vowing to cut Ukraine support | BBC News |

Slovakia has been a loyal and steadfast ally to Kyiv, supplying surface-to-air missiles and helicopters and even donating its entire fleet of retired MiG-29 fighter jets.