Direction – Slovak Social Democracy

Direction – Slovak Social Democracy, formerly and legally called Direction – Social Democracy (Slovak: Smer – sociálna demokracia, SMER–SD), is a national-populist[6][7][8][9] political party in Slovakia led by the former prime minister Robert Fico. The party claims to be social-democratic with Slovak national specifics,[10][11] while political scientists observe an extremist[12][13][14][15] and anti-establishment rhetoric.

Direction – Slovak Social Democracy
Smer – slovenská sociálna demokracia
AbbreviationSMER–SD
LeaderRobert Fico
Presidium
See list
  • Ľuboš Blaha
  • Juraj Blanár
  • Erik Kaliňák
  • Ladislav Kamenický
  • Richard Takáč
FounderRobert Fico
Founded8 November 1999
Split fromParty of the Democratic Left
HeadquartersBratislava
NewspaperSMER Newspapers
Youth wingYoung Social Democrats
Women's wingSlovak Union of Women
Membership (2020) 13,284
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left to left-wing[5]
Historical:
Centre-left[3][4]
European affiliationParty of European Socialists
International affiliation
European Parliament groupProgressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Colours  Red
National Council
26 / 150
European Parliament
3 / 14
Regional Governors
2 / 8
Regional MPs
88 / 408
Mayors
592 / 2,904
Local MPs
3,692 / 20,646
Website
strana-smer.sk

Robert Fico founded the party in 1999 after leaving the post-communist Party of the Democratic Left together with former members of this party, as well as members of the national-populist Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. Initially, SMER claimed to be a third way party and was characterized by populist and centrist policy.[16][17] After the merger of several social-democratic and left-wing populist parties into Direction in 2005, it changed its name to Direction – Social Democracy and shifted its political positions to the center-left.[3][4]

In 2006, the party won parliamentary elections for the first time, and Robert Fico led a coalition government with two other small nationalist parties. This term was characterized by a number of corruption cases, foreign policy tensions in Hungary–Slovakia relations[18] and rapprochement with some of the world's autocratic regimes.[19] On the other hand, under the leadership of SMER–SD, Slovakia continued its European integration[20] and managed the 2007-2008 global financial crisis.[21]

After two years in opposition, 2012 snap parliamentary elections resulted in a one-party majority government again led by Robert Fico.[22]

In the 2016 parliamentary election, Smer-SD lost more than a third of its original support. Nevertheless, it formed a unexpected coalition with three center-right parties and Robert Fico remained Prime Minister .[23][24] During this election term, the support of the party and the entire governing coalition continued to fall sharply.[25] There was a gradual escalation of the social tensions and criticism of government corruption, culminating in massive anti-government protests in 2018 after the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak.[26][27] The then-president Andrej Kiska called Slovakia a "mafia state",[28] and under threat of another snap election, the government was reconstructed with a new Prime Minister - Peter Pellegrini from Smer–SD.[29][30] At the same time at the end of the 2010s, a radicalization of the party's rhetoric closer to nationalism and political extremism was observed.[31]

After the 2020 parliamentary elections, the party remained in opposition. After the departure of the faction of former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, the party continued radicalization. After the anti-corruption government came to power, unprecedented investigations of former nominees and party members began. Smer-SD rejects the process and calls it the "dismantling of the rule of law" or "the end of democracy in Slovakia."

The party's rhetoric currently includes Russophilic,[32][33] anti-American,[34][35] anti-LGBT,[36][37] Romaphobic,[38] and anti-vaccination[39][40] views. It is described by some journalists and political scientists as having turned neo-fascist.[41][42]

History

Foundation and early years (1999–2006)

Originally named Direction (Slovak: Smer), the party was founded on 8 November 1999, emerging as a breakaway from the post-Communist Party of the Democratic Left (SDL'), the successor of the original Communist Party of Slovakia and the governing party from 1998 to 2002. Under Robert Fico, at the time one of the most popular politicians in the country, it quickly became one of the most popular parties in Slovakia, while the SDĽ experienced a constant decrease within popularity. In the 2002 Slovak parliamentary election, its first formal election period, it became the third-largest party in the National Council of the Slovak Republic, with 25 of 150 seats. In 2003, it changed its formal name to Direction (Third Way), or Smer (tretia cesta) in Slovak.[43]

In 2005, the party absorbed the SDĽ and the Social Democratic Alternative, a small social democratic party that split from the original SDĽ somewhat later than Direction did, in addition to the Social Democratic Party of Slovakia. Founded in 1990, the party became known for the leadership of Alexander Dubček, and Direction adopted the Smer–SD name. Following the party's victory in 2006, Smer–SD entered into a coalition with the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) and was readmitted into the Party of European Socialists (PES) in 2008. It later formed another coalition with the SNS in 2016.

Government (2006–2010)
See also: Fico's First Cabinet

In the 2006 Slovak parliamentary election, the party won 29.1% of the popular vote and 50 of 150 seats. Following that election, Smer-SD formed a coalition government with the People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and the SNS,[44] an extremist nationalist party.[45][46][47]

On 12 October 2006, the party was temporarily suspended from membership in the PES.[48] The resolution to suspend the party referred specifically to the PES Declaration "For a modern, pluralist and tolerant Europe", adopted in Berlin by the PES congress in 2001, which states that "all PES parties adhere to the following principles ... [and] to refrain from any form of political alliance or co-operation at all levels with any political party which incites or attempts to stir up racial or ethnic prejudices and racial hatred." In The Slovak Spectator, the PES chairman Poul Nyrup Rasmussen commented: "Most of our members stood solidly behind our values, according to which forming a coalition with the extreme right is unacceptable."[49] The party was readmitted on 14 February 2008 after its chairman Fico and SNS leader Jan Slota pledged in a letter to respect European values, human rights, and all ethnic minorities.[50]

Opposition (2010–2012)
Party logo from 2005 to 2019, which was used in several combined red, orange or green versions.

Although the party won the most votes in the 2010 Slovak parliamentary election, with a lead of 20% over the second-place Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party (SDKÚ),[51] they had not been able to form a government because of losses sustained by their coalition partners. Their result, 34.8%, gave them 62 of 150 seats in the National Council, but the HZDS failed to cross the 5% threshold, losing all their seats, and the SNS was reduced to nine seats. The four opposition centre-right parties (the Christian Democratic Movement, Freedom and Solidarity, Most–Híd, and SDKÚ) were able to form a new government.[52]

Government (2012–2020)
Party logo from 2019 to 2021

In the 2012 Slovak parliamentary election, Smer–SD won 44.4% of the votes and became the largest party in the National Council, with an absolute majority of 83 seats (out of 150).[53] Fico's Second Cabinet was the first single-party government in Slovakia since 1993. In the 2014 European Parliament election in Slovakia, Smer–SD came in first place nationally, receiving 24.09% of the vote and electing four Members of the European Parliament.[54]

Despite suffering a significant loss in support as a result of strikes by teachers and nurses earlier in the year,[55] Smer–SD won the 5 March 2016 parliamentary election with 28.3% of the vote and 49 of 150 seats, and subsequently formed Fico's Third Cabinet in a coalition government with Most–Híd, Network, and the Slovak National Party. Prime Minister Fico resigned in the wake of the political crisis following the murder of Ján Kuciak and was replaced by Peter Pellegrini, with the same majority. However, Fico remained leader of Smer-SD.

Back into opposition and departure of the Pellegrini group (2020–present)

The party managed to score 18.29% in the 2020 Slovak parliamentary election, which was 2 to 3 percent more than the latest polls showed, but it was still a decrease of 10% compared to previous elections. The party occupied 38 seats in parliament. Pellegrini, the chairman of the Fico parliamentary group, became the vice-chairman of the National Council for the Opposition on the basis of post-election negotiations. In May 2020, two deputies for SMER–SD (Ján Podmanický and Marián Kéry) founded a value policy platform with deputies from KDŽP, elected as a candidate of the Kotlebists – People's Party Our Slovakia. Because of this, Pellegrini sharply criticized them, while Fico defended Podmanický. In May 2020, Podmanický also left the Smer–SD parliamentary group after criticism from his own ranks.

As early as April 2020, party vice-chairman Pellegrini announced his ambition to run for party chairman as Smer-SD's most popular politician, winning 170,000 more votes than the chairman. Fico reacted strongly, saying that he did not intend to resign and wanted to remain at the head of the party, while Pellegrini gradually began to tighten his criticism of Fico and the party's situation. Pellegrini criticized the fact that the party's presidency had not met since the election and the date of the parliament was unknown. Pellegrini demanded that the assembly be held as soon as possible, while Fico insisted that the nomination assembly take place only at a ceremonial assembly in December 2020.

At a June 2020 press conference in Banská Bystrica, Pellegrini announced that he would resign as Vice-Chairman of Smer–SD and leave the party in the near future. He also outlined the establishment of a new party, Voice – Social Democracy (HLAS-SD), which he said should be social democratic, but refuse to be liberal. Around that time, Fico had already offered Pellegrini the position of party chairman, provided that he maintained his influence in the party, an offer which was rejected by Pellegrini. In the first FOCUS survey, 21.4% of respondents said they would vote for the new Pellegrini party, while those saying they would vote for the original Smer-SD remained at 9.6%. At a press conference one week following the announcement of Pellegrini's departure, another 10 deputies announced they would leave the party, including Vice-Presidents Peter Žiga and Richard Raši, Bureau member Denisa Saková and long-standing deputies and party members. At the same time, together with Pellegrini, they announced the creation of a new social-democratic party at the press conference, which they would join. Political scientist Grigory Mesezhnikov postulated that after the departure of the Pellegrini group, the SMER-SD could move further to the left into the spectrum of the radical to communist left.

Ideology

At the end of the 2010s, and especially after the departure of the faction around Peter Pellegrini (HLAS) in 2020, the party turned from pro-European left to nationalist or patriotic left.

Since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination rhetoric was observed in the party's ideology. The top officials, including Robert Fico, began to actively appear in alternative and conspiracy media, as well as to spread or create multiple hoaxes and conspiracies.

Alongside the Romanian Social Democratic Party, it has been described as the PES' "enfant terrible".[56]

Leadership

Prime ministers
No. Name
(birth–death)		 Portrait Term start Term end Duration
4 Robert Fico
(born 1964)		 4 July 2006
4 April 2012		 8 July 2010
22 March 2018		 9 years, 11 months and 22 days
6 Peter Pellegrini
(born 1975)		 22 March 2018 21 March 2020 1 year, 11 months and 28 days

Party chairman
No. Name
(birth–death)		 Portrait Term start Term end Duration
1 Robert Fico
(born 1964)		 8 November 1999 Incumbent 22 years, 5 months and 25 days

Controversy

Corruption

The party is associated with many corruption cases in Slovakia. During the 12 years during which it ruled, the media revealed more than 30 alleged corruption cases in which Slovakia was to lose a total of 20 billion euros.[57][58]

As no corruption case has yet been proven in court, and no conviction resulting from a party member's complicity in corruption cases been attained, the party strongly rejects the fact that it has a number of corruption scandals. Its chairman Fico usually points to the cases of his opponents when asked about specific corruption cases. More than once, Fico verbally attacked the media or the journalist himself who asked these questions.[59][60] Some prominent members of Smer-SD, in response to the corruption cases, especially in the 2010s, have admitted that it is a thing of the past and that they made mistakes, while denying that corruption in the state was high.[61]

Election results

National Council
National Council
Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Government
2002 Robert Fico 387,100 13.46 (3rd)
25 / 150
 New Opposition
2006 671,185 29.14 (1st)
50 / 150
 25 Coalition
2010 880,111 34.79 (1st)
62 / 150
 12 Opposition
2012 1,134,280 44.41 (1st)
83 / 150
 21 Majority
2016 737,481 28.28 (1st)
49 / 150
 34 Coalition
2020 Peter Pellegrini[lower-alpha 1] 527,172 18.29 (2nd)
38 / 150
 11 Opposition

European Parliament
European Parliament
Election Group Leader Votes % Seats +/–
2004 S&D Monika Beňová 118,535 16.89 (3rd)
3 / 14
 New
2009 Boris Zala 264,722 32.01 (1st)
5 / 13
 2
2014 Maroš Šefčovič 135,089 24.09 (1st)
4 / 13
 1
2019 Monika Beňová 154,996 15.72 (2nd)
3 / 14
 1

Presidential
President of Slovakia
Election Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
2004 Endorsed Ivan Gašparovič 442,564 22.28 1,079,592 59.91 Won
2009 Endorsed Ivan Gašparovič 876,061 46.71 1,234,787 55.53 Won
2014 Robert Fico 531,919 28.01 893,841 40.61 Lost
2019 Endorsed Maroš Šefčovič 400,379 18.66 752,403 41.59 Lost

See also

Notes
  1. Pellegrini was the election leader, while Fico remained the party chairman.

Footnotes
  1. Sekerák, Marián (October 2019). "Towards conservatism? Party politics in Slovakia at the end of the 2010s". European View. 18 (2): 233–241. doi:10.1177/1781685819883965.
  2. https://euagenda.eu/upload/publications/untitled-145675-ea.pdf
  3. "Smer sa zlúči so socialistami". 11 December 2004.
  4. "Smer: Strana predstieranej identity". 19 February 2016.
  5. "Uznávam porážku, reagoval Fico na výsledky volieb. Funkciu šéfa strany Pellegrinimu neponúkne". hnonline.sk (in Slovak). Hospodárske noviny. 1 March 2020. ... Fico says, that the next weeks will show what happens. According to him, Smer wants to be a strong opposition. "I want a purely left-wing party of the Smer. That is my position and I want to go further with this," he adds. ...
  6. Bradová, Klára (2015). "Národní populismus Roberta Fica". Plzeň: Západočeská univerzita v Plzni. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. Chamulová, Barbora (2009). "Populizmus HZDS a SMER" (PDF). old.bisla.sk.
  8. Gyárfášová, Oľga; Mesežnikov, Grigorij (2008). Národný populizmus na Slovensku. Bratislava: IVO. ISBN 978-80-89345-12-0.
  9. "Smer-SD je podľa odborníkov národne populistická strana, má klesajúcu tendenciu a môže sa radikalizovať". 22 February 2020.
  10. https://www.tvnoviny.sk/domace/2028843_smer-sd-meni-logo-strany-ma-sluzit-na-adresnejsiu-komunikaciu
  11. "Smer sa chce hodnotovo vyhraniť. Ficova strana ukázala nové logo".
  12. "Lenč: Statusom, nech ako moslim nerobím v kresťanskej krajine politológa, Fico iba ukázal, že je xenofóbny fašista". 27 August 2021.
  13. "Smer tiahne v jednom šíku s extrémistami. A Pellegriniho Hlas len zaryto mlčí".
  14. "Fico sa vracia do politickej minulosti. Na Rómov útočí slovníkom extrémistov".
  15. "Extrémizmus Robertovi Ficovi vychádza". 27 August 2021.
  16. "Smer bude oddnes používať v názve prívlastok Tretia cesta".
  17. "Desať najdôležitejších míľnikov v histórii strany Smer-SD od jej vzniku až dodnes".
  18. "Slovensko-maďarské vzťahy". 21 September 2009.
  19. "Zvláštne zážitky Roberta Fica na potulkách svetom". 2 June 2015.
  20. "Vstup Slovenska do eurozóny". 22 September 2008.
  21. "Fico sa chváli, že vyriešil finančnú krízu".
  22. "Voľby 2012: Smer-SD je oficiálnym víťazom volieb".
  23. "Fico si zrejme predstavoval iný koniec: Takáto bola jeho tretia vláda". 15 March 2018.
  24. "Názor: Hrádza proti extrémizmu je starý vtip".
  25. "Čím bližšie k voľbám, tým bol opozičný blok silnejší a vyrástol nad 50 percent (Grafy)". 20 February 2020.
  26. "Protesty nezoslabli, v Bratislave žiadalo predčasné voľby 65-tisíc ľudí (+letecké zábery)". 16 March 2018.
  27. "Zažili sme najväčšie protesty od roku 1989".
  28. "Kiska: Slovensko vyzerá ako mafiánsky štát vďaka kontaktom politikov so zločincami".
  29. "Prezident Kiska vymenoval za premiéra P. Pellegriniho a členov vlády". 22 March 2018.
  30. "Aktualizované: Pellegrini je novým premiérom, prezident Kiska vymenoval aj novú vládu". 22 March 2018.
  31. "Spot Smeru má dva problémy: Dieťa fajčí marihuanu a nápad ukradnutý z Izraela". 12 December 2019.
  32. "Dezinformačná scéna nepoľavuje v šírení "alternatívnej pravdy" a proruskej propagandy". 12 October 2021.
  33. "Analytik Milo: Slováci sú objímači ruského medveďa. V proruskom sentimente sme na špici krajín V4 (Podcast)".
  34. "Smer-SD si odmietaním obrannej dohody s USA naháňa politické body, tvrdí Šeliga". 22 January 2022.
  35. "Prezidentská kancelária sa ohradila voči videu, ktoré šíri poslanec Blaha". 6 February 2022.
  36. "Fico hovorí o LGBTI ľuďoch čoraz vulgárnejšie, jeho štátna tajomníčka pritom podporila Pride". 11 May 2021.
  37. "Na Homofóba roka nominovali Fica, Matoviča i Sulíka".
  38. "Rómovia: Fico dal zelenú fašistom, aby nás dehonestovali". 16 December 2016.
  39. "Antivaxeri a slovenskí politici sú nerozlučná dvojica. Za reklamy proti vakcínam na Facebooku najviac míňa Fico". 23 August 2021.
  40. "Kto sú najväčší antivaxeri v parlamente? Top výroky predsedov strán".
  41. "Lenč: Statusom, nech ako moslim nerobím v kresťanskej krajine politológa, Fico iba ukázal, že je xenofóbny fašista". 27 August 2021.
  42. "Po čom Fico túži. Poslanec Blaha fašista? (Podcast)".
  43. "Register of Political Parties and Political Movements". Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  44. "The Study of Contemporary Racism and Antisemitism", The Steven Roth Institute, Tel Aviv University. Tau.ac.il. Archived 31 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
  45. Zoltan D. Barany (2002). The East European gypsies: regime change, marginality, and ethnopolitics. Cambridge University Press. pp. 313, 408. ISBN 0-521-00910-3. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  46. Cas Mudde (2005). Racist Extremism in Central & Eastern Europe. Routledge. pp. xvi, 314. ISBN 0-415-35593-1. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  47. Juliana Sokolova (2 April 2009). "Slovakia: in search of normal". openDemocracy.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  48. SMER suspended from PES political family Archived 6 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Party of European Socialists, 12 October 2006
  49. Petit Press a.s. (16 October 2006). "Euro-socialists suspend Fico's Smer party". spectator.sme.sk. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  50. "Slovak PM's party rejoins European socialists". Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  51. Voľby do Národnej rady Slovenskej republiky Archived 16 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Volbysr.sk. Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
  52. Fico vyhral a predsa končí | Voľby 2010. volby.sme.sk. Retrieved on 15 October 2011.
  53. a.s, Petit Press (11 March 2012). "ELECTION 2012: UVK officially confirms Smer's landslide victory in general election". spectator.sme.sk.
  54. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  55. Cunningham, Benjamin (6 March 2016). "5 takeaways from Slovakia's election". Politico.eu. Politico. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  56. Hegedüs, Daniel (2 December 2019). "Loss for Romania's Social Democrats Is a Win for Europe's Left". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  57. Aktuality.sk. "Najväčšie korupčné kauzy od roku 2006". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  58. Čikovský, Konštantín (24 November 2015). "Päť miliardových káuz Smeru". Denník E (in Slovak). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  59. Števkov, Peter. "Ficova vojna s novinármi. Slizkí hadi, hyeny, prostitútky a idioti | Parlamentné Listy". parlamentnelisty.sk/ (in Slovak). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  60. a.s, Petit Press. "Vláda nechce odpovedať novinám, naposledy to urobil Mečiar". ekonomika.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  61. "Pellegrini volá po zmene, pripúšťa svoj odchod". trend.sk (in Slovak). 29 May 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
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