The party of former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico won the parliamentary elections

Former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s party, Smer, has won the parliamentary elections, garnering 22.94 percent of the votes.

This announcement was made by the head of the State Election Commission and Political Party Financing Control, Ladislav Oroz.

“The party Smer received the most votes—22.94 percent,” he stated.

In second place was the liberal and pro-European party Progresivne Slovensko with 17.96 percent of the votes, and third place went to the social-democratic party Hlas-SD, which received support from 14.7 percent of the voters.

Previously, Fico had publicly opposed supporting Kyiv and criticized the West for “rolling out the red carpet” for Ukrainian nationalists. He also claimed that due to aid provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Slovak army was left in a dire state with no combat aircraft and air defense systems.

Today, Fico announced that if the Smer party can form a government, they will make every effort to initiate peaceful negotiations regarding Ukraine.

The snap parliamentary elections in Slovakia took place yesterday, with 25 political entities participating, including 24 parties and one coalition. To enter parliament, parties need to secure at least five percent of the votes, while coalitions require a minimum of seven percent.

According to exit poll data from the Focus agency, the liberal and pro-European party Progresivne Slovensko, led by 39-year-old Michal Simecka, was expected to win. However, after the vote count from most polling stations, it ended up in second place with 17.96 percent. The top three was rounded out by the Hlas party with 14.7 percent of the votes.

To form a government, Smer needs the support of at least 76 out of 150 parliament members. Following the elections, Fico’s party secured 42 seats in parliament. The politician could potentially form a coalition with the social-democratic party Hlas, which currently holds 27 seats and is led by 47-year-old Peter Pellegrini, a former member of Smer. However, even the combination of these two parties would not be enough for a complete majority.

Local political analysts suggest that a situation may arise where none of the parties obtains a parliamentary majority. In such a case, Slovakia could face another round of elections in a few months.