Heino Nyyssönen estimates that a coalition of left-wing populists and nationalists is the most natural government option.
The left-wing populist Smer party won the weekend parliamentary elections in Slovakia with 22.94 percent of the vote.
President of Slovakia Zuzana Caputova appointed the head of Smer on Sunday Robert Ficon to form the government.
The 59-year-old Fico swore before the election that Slovakia would not send “a single cartridge” to Ukraine, and he has also demanded better relations with Russia.
University teacher of political science at the University of Turku Heino Nyyssönen is of the opinion that Fico is “a bit one-sidedly” labeled as pro-Russia. He brings up Pan-Slavism, i.e. the idea of the unification of all Slavs.
– The idea of pan-Slavism has not been brought up recently, but the old idea of pan-Slavism still has an effect in Slovakia. Through that, you can think that the effort to understand Russia has been quite central to Slovakia’s politics for a very long time, says Nyyssönen.
– In Finland, it is not necessarily seen that these are pretty much internal political populist throws. We perhaps interpret them too easily as playing into Russia’s pocket, Nyyssönen continues.
Slovakia has previously appeared as a strong supporter of Ukraine. Nyyssönen says that as a populist, Fico wants to reflect the people’s opinion.
– There has been a lot of talk in the public about the penetration of Russian disinformation in Slovakia, that 40 percent buy the Russian argument, Nyyssönen says.
– I’ve been smelling the same thing about Hungary for a long time now, where state television supports this argument. I wouldn’t be particularly worried about the Ukrainians yet, he continues.
Visegrad cooperation growing?
Together with its neighboring countries Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, Slovakia forms the so-called Visegrad Group.
– We have thought about which are Fico and the prime minister of Hungary Viktor Orban spacing. I estimate that Visegrad cooperation can grow. I read an assessment in a Hungarian newspaper that supports the government that Fico’s victory is also a victory for Hungary.
The pattern is peculiar, because Fico is a left-wing populist and Orban is a right-wing populist.
– Hungary wants Central European cooperation to be highlighted. As far as I can see, Fico has nothing against it. I would assume that the cooperation will become closer to some extent.
Nyyssönen estimates that especially in regional cooperation, the countries are able to cooperate.