Direction – Social Democracy

A left-wing nationalist and social-democratic political party active in Slovakia. It was registered by the Ministry of the Interior on 8 November 1999. In its early years, the party positioned itself as a "Third Way" party; it later shifted its orientation toward the left and social democracy, becoming the dominant force on the left side of the Slovak political spectrum.

The party presents itself as pro-European and supports Slovakia's membership in the European Union and NATO, while merely criticizing the way they function. Despite its declared left-wing orientation, it holds conservative views on social issues. It has long faced accusations of Russophilia and anti-Roma sentiment. With the exception of the 20-month hiatus during Iveta Radičová’s administration, SMER-SD governed Slovakia in various coalition arrangements from 2006 to 2020. In the 2012 elections, Smer secured its highest level of voter support in history (44.41%, 83 seats), enabling it to form a single-party government for the first time since 1989. Following the 2016 parliamentary elections, the party’s support dropped to 28.28%, and it formed a coalition government with the Slovak National Party (SNS) and the parties Most–Híd and #SIEŤ (the latter only until 1 September 2016).

After the parliamentary elections in February 2020, the party held 38 seats in the National Council, making it the second-strongest party and political entity in the country. The party also experienced a decline at the municipal level; however, it still holds the highest number of mayoral seats (592) and local council seats (3,692) of any party. Robert Fico has served as the party's chairman since its inception.

Chairman: Robert Fico