Europe’s main center-left political group expels Slovak leader’s party for breaching its values

BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe’s main center-left political group on Friday kicked out the party of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is accused of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and undermining the rule of law in his own country.

The Party of European Socialists voted unanimously to expel Fico’s Smer party for taking political positions in recent years that contradict “severely and deeply the values and principles our family stands for,” Secretary-General Giacomo Filibeck said.

“This is a unanimous, clear message. If you belong to the PES family, you share the values that we all do,” Filibeck said after the vote at a group congress in Amsterdam. The group did not list its precise reasons for ejecting Smer.

Fico said he was disappointed by the decision.

“If they want to punish us because we have defined marriage as a unique union between a man and a woman, that we said there are only two sexes and that we said that in these issues our law takes precedence over European law, if that’s why we have to be expelled, then it’s an honor for us,” he said.

In recent years, the European Union has struggled to deal with member countries like Slovakia and Hungary that are accused of rolling back the democratic standards required to join the 27-nation bloc.

In May, Fico was the only leader of an EU country to travel to Moscow for festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, despite EU calls for a boycott.

Fico, who is a divisive figure at home and abroad, returned to power in 2003 after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won a parliamentary election on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.

Known for his pro-Russian views, he has openly challenged the bloc’s policies on Ukraine. Slovakia is currently holding up the latest package of EU sanctions against Russia.