The Logic of Survival: Smer’s Route Back to Political Relevance

This paper examines how Smer-SD managed to rebound from a near-fatal post-2020 decline and re-establish itself as a decisive force in Slovak politics, focusing on the factors within the party’s and its leadership’s direct control. The paper argues that Robert Fico’s strategic recalibration of the party’s message was central to its resurgence. Smer reinforced familiar themes of experience, delivery, and protection of disadvantaged groups, while gradually incorporating pro-Russian narratives, intensifying its critique of Western institutions, and selectively cooperating with far-right actors on issues that resonated with culturally conservative and illiberal voters. This ideological adaptation broadened the party’s appeal to segments of the electorate disillusioned with liberal reformist politics and receptive to nationalist or anti-establishment cues. By updating rather than reinventing its core identity, and by selectively absorbing elements from the radical right and the pro-Russian informational sphere, Smer stabilized its support base, regained political relevance, and ultimately reasserted itself as one of the dominant actors in Slovakia’s fluid party landscape.