Slovaks and others go to the polls in EU elections under the shadow of an assassination attempt

By KAREL JANICEK
Associated Press

PRAGUE (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Italy and other European Union nations are casting their ballots Saturday on the third day of elections for the European Parliament, with populist and far-right parties looking to make gains across the 27-member bloc.

In Slovakia, the election was overshadowed by an attempt to assassinate populist Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15, sending shockwaves through the nation of 5.4 million and reverberating throughout Europe. Analysts say the attack could boost the chances of the premier’s leftist Smer (Direction) party, the senior partner in the governing coalition, to win the vote.

Fico, who took office last fall after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform, has been recovering from multiple wounds after being shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters in the town of Handlova.

He recovered in time to address the nation in a prerecorded video, his first public statement since the attack, just hours before the start of the preelection silence period on Wednesday.

Although Fico didn’t talk directly about the vote, he attacked the European Union, suggesting he was a victim because of his views that differ sharply from the European mainstream.

Fico strongly opposes support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. He ended Slovakia’s military aid for Ukraine after his coalition government was sworn in on Oct. 25. He also opposes EU sanctions on Russia and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO.

Mainstream media, non-governmental organizations and the liberal opposition were also to blame for the assassination attempt, according to Fico, an allegation repeated by politicians in his governing coalition.

Soňa Szomolányi, a political science professor at Comenius University in Bratislava, said the timing of Fico’s message was “no coincidence.”

“It only confirms that the ruling coalition has been using the assassination (attempt) expediently and apparently effectively,” Szomolányi said. As a result, “a mobilization of the supporters of Smer (at the election) can be expected,” she said.

In Italy, citizens aged 18 and above are casting ballots over two days to fill 76 European parliamentary seats, starting Saturday.

Premier Giorgia Meloni is expected to be the big winner, reflecting her far-right Brothers of Italy’s growth, mostly at the expense of her coalition partners, the populist, anti-migrant League and the center-right Forza Italia. While the vote is not expected to affect the balance in the governing coalition, the result could expand Meloni’s influence in the European Union, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not ruled out a coalition with her group.

Capitalizing on her popularity, Meloni is running as the preferential candidate, even though she has no intention of taking a European parliamentary seat.

Voters in Latvia, Malta, and the Czech Republic were also casting ballots Saturday. Final results will not be released until Sunday night, once every country has voted. The main voting day is Sunday, with citizens in 20 European countries, including Germany, France and Poland, casting their ballots for the 720-seat European Parliament.

Seats are allocated based on population, ranging from six in Malta or Luxembourg to 96 in Germany.

In Slovakia, Fico’s Smer party is in a close race against the main opposition Progressive Slovakia, a pro-Western liberal party.

Fico’s government has made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting — a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio.

That, along with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, has led opponents to worry that he would lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path, following the direction of neighboring Hungary under populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Thousands have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s policies.

Aneta Világi, an analyst from Comenius University, said that Smer’s possible victory ”will be interpreted by the coalition parties as evidence that a majority of voters still agree with the direction they’re offering to the country.”

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed reporting.