TOGETHER – Civic Democracy

While Smer-SD's defeat was almost inevitable, the winner was as surprising as it was deserved — Igor Matovic, an unorthodox politician, successful self-made businessman and a genius of political marketing.

"Please believe me, as I stand here, that together with other leaders of democratic parties, we will try to create the best government Slovakia has ever had," Matovic said on Sunday morning.

Two years after the brutal murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée shocked the country, parliamentary elections have brought palpable change to Slovakia.

In the first parliamentary election since the murder two years ago of journalist Jan Kuciak, the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLANO) party took almost 25 per cent of the vote, compared with 18.5 per cent for SMER-SD.

It was SMER-SD's first loss in a general election since 2006 and its worst showing at the ballot box since 2002.

Politics in Slovakia has never been so divided between pro-European liberals and right-wing extremists, and analysts say any new government will stand or fall at the whim of the smallest parties that get into the national assembly.

But later, as a photographer and reporter, he realised his work could do some good. He started getting involved in fundraising campaigns for charities tackling poverty, cancer, education and climate change.

If presidential and EU elections in 2019 were any indication of what to expect in parliamentary polls on February 29, Slovaks can brace for a robust couple of months of campaigning.

"It's evident that environmental issues resonate with society and political parties are forced to address them," said Radek Kubala, a campaign coordinator for Greenpeace Slovakia.

To see the pace of change, consider two recent events.

A new coalition of Slovak progressive parties have swept to victory in elections for the European Parliament, defeating both the ruling SMER-SD party and an active campaign from the far-right.

The PS/SPOLU coalition of pro-EU parties won 20.11 per cent of the vote, winning four of Slovakia's 13 seats.

On an unusually brisk afternoon in May, European flags fluttered alongside anti-fascist banners in Bratislava's old town on the banks of the Danube.

Demonstrators were protesting a meeting of European far-right parties in the Slovak capital ahead of this month's EU elections.

"Freedom is more than a nation," one placard read. "Fascists, entry forbidden," said another.