February 29, 2020, seemed to mark the end of an era in Slovak politics. The country had just decisively voted out Smer (Direction), Robert Fico’s populist-hued social democratic party. It was hailed as a new dawn — the start of Slovakia’s probusiness, corruption-free future, after over a decade of near-continuous Smer dominance.

However, the center-right alliance that replaced Smer was not built to last. Last winter, after three years of bickering over the pandemic and falling living standards, the ruling coalition lost a no-confidence vote, forcing a snap election this September 30. Against all odds, Smer has emerged as the frontrunner, thanks to its insurgent campaign centered on the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.

Yet, to a young generation of Slovak leftists who came of age after the fall of communism, this is not cause for celebration. For them, Smer’s social democratic rhetoric is overshadowed by its numerous corruption scandals, use of nationalist language, and inability to offer a transformative vision. But at a time when the Left is in retreat across Europe, what attitude will this new generation of activists adopt toward a party that, for all its faults, has proven remarkably successful at defending a welfare state faced with post-communist market liberalization?