Socialist chiefs to wield axe as far-right joins Slovak coalition

The Party of European Socialists (PES) is set to suspend from membership the Slovak Social Democratic Party (SMER), in protest at the decision of its leader Robert Fico to form a coalition government with a nationalist party.

PES leader Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said yesterday that he had no choice but to recommend suspending SMER, after Fico, the newly elected prime minister, formed a coalition with the nationalist SNS party, which has a very aggressive stance to the country's Hungarian minority and Roma population.

"I can't be the frontrunner against populism, xenophobia and nationalism and accept a government with populist, xenophobic and nationalist members," said Rasmussen, following a meeting with Fico in Strasbourg yesterday (5 July).

SMER's MEPs are also likely to be suspended from the Socialist group in the European Parliament.

Rasmussen said following the meeting with Fico that he had warned the SMER leader that going ahead with the planned coalition meant that "Europe would turn its back on Slovakia".

The move carries echoes of events in 2000, when the Christian Democrat Party in Austria formed a coalition with the right-wing Freedom Party, provoking protests in Strasbourg and Brussels.

Rasmussen wrote to Fico last week, warning him of the consequences of forming a coalition with nationalist parties, urging him to seek other allies.

But Fico wants to water down some of the liberal economic policies of his centre-right predecessor Mikulásù Dzurinda including a 19% flat tax. He would not have had support for doing this from centre-right parties or the Hungarian minority party.

Rasmussen said that SMER would remain suspended as long as it remained in coalition with SNS.

The decision to suspend must formally be taken by the PES praesidium, whose next meeting is scheduled for October. But Rasmussen said there could be an extraordinary meeting before then so that the decision could be taken as soon as possible.

If, as expected, the PES's 32 other member parties vote to suspend SMER, the party and its leaders would lose the rights to attend all PES summits, meetings and seminars.

SMER would also cease to be a member of the Socialist group in the European Parliament which only admits PES members.

SMER's three MEPs would then have to apply to join the group as associate members which could mean them being barred from prestigious committee positions.

Socialist group leader Martin Schulz said that suspension of SMER from the PES was "inevitable".

After meeting Fico in Strasbourg yesterday (5 July), Schulz said that it was a "point of principle" that Socialist parties could not form coalitions with parties like SNS.

Fico's new government, including SNS and the HZDS party of former prime minister Vladimir Meciar, was sworn into office on Tuesday (4 July).

Meciar was shunned by western governments amid accusation of authoritarianism when he led the country after its "velvet divorce" of separation from the Czech Republic in 1993. Negotiations on entry to the EU were put on hold and Slovakia had to work hard to catch up its preparation for joining the Union.

Slovak SMER MEP Vladimir Manka told European Voice that his party fully respected the PES group's "opinion and fears" but also had to take account of the "political reality" after the Slovak elections. "This coalition was not a preferred one for our party but the outcome of the negotiations has been like this. Our aim is to convince the PES that we are able to manage consequent social democratic government with positive results for Slovak citizens," he said. The party would also consult on its government programme with the PES, said Manka, promising that the inclusion of the Slovak National Party (SNS) in the government "will not cause any damage to anyone".

The Party of European Socialists (PES) is set to suspend from membership the Slovak Social Democratic Party (SMER), in protest at the decision of its leader Robert Fico to form a coalition government with a nationalist party.

• Primary Source