The step was taken on 12 October 2006 following Smer’s decision to enter into a coalition with the Slovak National Party (SNS), a party which is seen to be out of line with the pluralist principles of the PES.
PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said “It is with a heavy heart that the PES must suspend Smer from our political family. But basic political principles cannot be sacrificed. The PES does not believe that its member parties can enter Government at any price. Slovakia needs social democracy, but not at the cost of compromising with extreme nationalism and xenophobia.”
A rising number of attacks against the Slovak Hungarian minority and the Roma, after the SNS joined the government, have caused alarm.
In response, the party issued a declaration on the 10 October, rejecting accusations that it is intolerant and stating that it condemns “any manifestations of racial, ethnic or nationality intolerance wherever in Europe.”
Jana Lassakova, a high-ranking Smer official, said the move to suspend the party was "hasty and worrying." She added, "Our government was the result of legitimate elections."
The PES Presidency will reassess the situation in June 2007.
