Slovak Government Poll Shows Matovič Rising, Democrats in Tight Race with Far-Right Republika

A new political opinion poll commissioned by the Slovak government and conducted by the state-affiliated Infostat research institute shows shifting support among opposition parties, with former Prime Minister Igor Matovič's movement gaining ground and the centrist Democrats party locked in a close contest with the far-right Republika party. The Infostat figures stand in notable contrast to a separate private polling agency's July survey, which placed Republika — a nationalist, far-right party — at nearly 13 percent support. The state pollster's numbers paint a significantly different picture of Republika's standing, highlighting how polling methodologies can produce starkly divergent results in Slovakia's fragmented political landscape. Slovakia's opposition is currently divided among several parties challenging the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-SD party. Matovič, a polarizing and unpredictable political figure who previously served as prime minister before being ousted in 2021, leads his own movement and has struggled in recent months to maintain a stable voter base. The Democrats, a newer liberal-centrist party, are competing for opposition voters alongside Republika, which has positioned itself on the nationalist right. The divergence between state and private polling figures is likely to fuel debate about the accuracy of political surveys ahead of future elections.