THE RULING Smer party won the EP elections but showed it is losing its attraction to voters following the loss of Prime Minister Robert Fico in the presidential election.
Smer won 32 percent of the votes in the previous EP elections and won five mandates. This time around Smer harvested 24.1 percent and four mandates, which is one mandate fewer than four years ago. Most voters of Fico did not show up in polling stations, the Sme daily wrote. While in 2009, almost 265,000 people voted for the party now it is fewer than half that.
After the lost presidential elections or the November fiasco of Vladimír Maňka who lost the runoff of the regional race against extremist Marian Kotleba in the Banská Bystrica Region the weekend result is another signal that Smer’s dominance is weakening, according to Sme. When introducing the slate for the EP race Fico said that he would consider it success if the party wins again five EP mandates, a goal that the party failed to meet.
MEP Boris Zala attributes a portion of responsibility for turnout and results to the media saying that it is not enough to inform of the topics four days before the elections. Smer’s MEP Monika Flašíková-Beňová says that it is an unpleasant surprise for her.
Source: Sme
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
