Slovakia's "Republika" movement is poaching voters from PM Fico's party

Slovakia's extra-parliamentary movement Republika is gaining popularity at the expense of the ruling Smer party led by Prime Minister Robert Fico. According to pollsters, a portion of those who voted for Smer in 2023 (when the party won 681,000 votes) now feel Fico's policies aren't radical enough and are shifting their support to more right-wing forces.

In the 2023 elections, Republika won 4.75% of the vote and failed to enter parliament, garnering 141,000 votes at the time. Yet in just three years, the movement has managed to double its base of supporters, and pollsters don't rule out that by next year's parliamentary elections, Republika's support could top 300,000 votes.

Betting on social media instead of rallies

Republika's politicians rarely meet voters in person, focusing instead on social media. Reportedly, some videos by the movement's MEPs Milan Mazurek and Milan Uhrík have racked up over a million views.

According to pollster Ipsos, roughly 80,000 voters have switched from Smer to Republika over the past three years. The movement has also drawn tens of thousands of supporters from the ruling Hlas party, people who previously didn't vote at all, as well as voters from the ruling Slovak National Party.

The movement's supporter base is changing

Along with the surge in support, the makeup of Republika's electorate has also shifted. Three years ago, its backers were mostly young voters with lower education levels from the Banská Bystrica region. Now the movement is strongest among voters aged 45–54, is gaining traction among the 55–65 age group, and still retains its original core of supporters.

The shift of voters toward Republika is also confirmed by surveys from other pollsters. According to Martin Slosiarik, director of the Focus agency, the extra-parliamentary movement's growth stems from its ability to move beyond its initial narrow electorate and gradually turn into a broad protest alternative for nationally and conservatively minded voters. "The movement benefits from discontent with the government, yet it isn't directly held responsible for its actions. That's why it can attract people who support most of the current coalition's positions but are disappointed with its performance, the economic situation, or unmet expectations," Slosiarik explains.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz