Direction – Slovak Social Democracy
Direction – Slovak Social Democracy ( sk, Smer – slovenská sociálna demokracia, SMER–SSD), formerly and legally called Direction – Social Democracy ( sk, Smer – sociálna demokracia, SMER–SD), is a left-wing populist political party in Slovakia led by the former prime minister Robert Fico. The party claims to represent social democracy with Slovak national specifics. It was founded in 1999 as a splinter from the post-communist Party of the Democratic Left. Initially a big tent populist party, started to build its national brand as a Third Way alternative in 2003. It switched its name to Direction – Social Democracy and adopted social democratic positions after merging with several minor centre-left parties in 2005. SMER–SD won the 2006 parliamentary election and formed a coalition government with two minor nationalist parties. Fico's First Cabinet continued the European integration of Slovakia while abandoning the economic-liberal reforms of the two previous ...
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Robert Fico
Robert Fico (; born 15 September 1964) is a Slovak politician who served as the prime minister of Slovakia from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018 (when he resigned). He has been the first leader of the Direction – Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party since 1999. First elected to Parliament in 1992 (whilst within Czechoslovakia), he was later appointed to the Council of Europe. Following his party's victory in the 2006 parliamentary election, he formed the first Fico Cabinet. After the 2010 parliamentary election, Fico sat as an opposition member of parliament, effectively as leader of the opposition. Following a motion of confidence against the Iveta Radičová cabinet, Fico was re-appointed as Prime Minister after leading SMER-SD to a landslide election victory in the 2012 parliamentary election, winning 83 seats and forming a government with an absolute majority in Parliament, the first such since 1989. In 2013, Fico officially declared his candidacy for the 2014 presi ...
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