Fico has been defeated by a man he used to call a clown

The responsibility of the new government will be immense.

Igor Matovič during election night in Trnava.Igor Matovič during election night in Trnava. (Source: TASR)

Robert Fico and his Smer has gone undefeated in parliamentary elections since 2006. Always the highest vote-count, almost always the one to decide how the ruling coalition would look like, the only party in history that got the power only for itself for one entire term in 2012.

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This is not to say that Fico has not tasted defeat yet. Most notably in the 2014 presidential election, when Andrej Kiska beat him in the run-off round, which made him Fico's arch-enemy ever since.

Related article Live updates: Exit poll shows a debacle for ruling coalition Read more 

Losing to Kiska is not quite the same as losing to Igor Matovič, the man Fico has repeatedly called a clown, a fool and a psychopath. Fico, who has not shown his face in the public on election night, is not quite the same as he was in 2014 either, but looking at Matovič delivering his victory speech is still a blow, especially since it came literally out of the blue.

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