Populist former prime minister of Slovakia signs deal to form new government

Robert Fico campaigned on a pro-Russian and anti-American message in parliamentary elections last month (Petr David Josek/AP)

A former prime minister of Slovakia who plans to end the country’s military support for Ukraine is poised to return to office after his political party signed a deal with two other parties to form a coalition government.

The leftist Smer, or Direction, party captured 22.9% of the vote in Slovakia’s September 30 parliamentary election. The party’s leader, populist former prime minister Robert Fico, needed to find coalition partners to rule with a majority in the country’s 150-seat parliament.