The assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico also has implications for the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. In Slovakia, 15 MEPs will be elected in the vote on 8 June. Twenty-three political parties and one coalition are contesting seats in the European Parliament with their candidates. The campaign is almost directly linked to the presidential elections. However, just before the final, calls are being made for the campaign to be suspended in an attempt to calm passions in society. Several parties have already cancelled their planned activities.
The call to political parties to temporarily interrupt or significantly tone down the election campaign for the European Parliament was also made at the common meeting of the head of state Zuzana Čaputová and the future president Petr Pellegrini.
Several parties - both coalition and opposition - have already confirmed ceasing activities. Progresívne Slovensko has cancelled campaign activities until further notice. The SaS party, chaired by Branislav Grohling, has also stopped campaigning.
“Our Euro candidates are back in Bratislava. We are not proceeding further with the campaign at the moment and, in the next few days, we will assess the situation and what to do next.”
Hlas-SD announced a weakening of the campaign too, also because of threats against the leader of their list of candidates. Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák explains plans of the Smer-SD party.
“There will certainly be some reassessment of the intensity in these moments of the campaign itself, but I don't think we would change the policy that we have always pursued, and that is directly talking to the citizens,” says Kaliňák.
RTVS
