THE former prime minister of Slovakia, who plans to end the country’s military support for Ukraine, is poised to return to office after his party signed a coalition deal today.

The left-wing Smer party won 22.9 per cent of the vote in Slovakia’s September 30 parliamentary election. 

The party’s leader, former prime minister Robert Fico, needed to find coalition partners to rule with a majority in the country’s 150-seat Parliament.

The memorandum provides for a coalition of Smer, which holds 42 seats; the left-wing Voice party, which placed third in the election and has 27 seats, and the ultra-nationalist and pro-Russia Slovak National Party (SNS), which has 10 lawmakers in the new parliament.

Mr Fico’s former deputy in Smer, Peter Pellegrini, is the leader of Voice.

Mr Pellegrini parted ways with Mr Fico after Smer lost the previous election in 2020. 

As part of the coalition deal, Smer will get to appoint the prime minister and six other ministers, Voice will get to name the parliament’s speaker and seven Cabinet ministers, and SNS three ministers.

Mr Fico said during the election campaign that he wants his country to remain part of the European Union and Nato but vowed to withdraw Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine.