Europe's leading center-left political family today expelled from its membership the party of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who they accuse of getting closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin while undermining the rule of law in his own country.
The Party of European Socialists (PES) unanimously voted today to expel Fico's Smer party, due to its stances in recent years that are "strongly and deeply at odds with the values and principles" that the political family stands for, said Secretary General Giacomo Filibec.
"This is a unanimous, clear message. If you belong to the PES family, you share the values that we all share," Filibek said after the vote at the group's congress in Amsterdam.
In May, Fico was the only leader of an EU country to travel to Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, despite EU calls for a boycott.
Fico is known for his pro-Russian views and openly opposes the Union's policies regarding Ukraine.
The expulsion of Smer from membership comes after the Socialists lost patience with Fico, who, they believe, "flaps" at Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping and whom they accuse of grossly violating the rule of law in Slovakia.
Smer's membership in PES was suspended in October 2023, when it formed a government with the nationalist Slovak People's Party (SNS).
Bonus video:
