Voters in Slovakia, Italy and other EU countries will cast their ballots on June 8 in the third day of elections for the European Parliament, in which populist and far-right parties will seek to gain control across the 27-member EU.

In Slovakia, an assassination attempt on populist Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15 upended the election, sending shockwaves through the country of 5.4 million and reverberating across Europe. Analysts say the attack could boost the chances of the prime minister’s leftist Smer (Direction) party, the senior partner in the ruling coalition, winning the vote.

Mr. Fico, who took office last year after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform, is recovering from multiple wounds after he was shot in the stomach while greeting supporters in the town of Handlova. He recovered in time and addressed the nation in a pre-recorded video on Wednesday, making his first public statement since the attack, just hours before the pre-election period of silence began.

Although Mr Fico did not speak directly about the vote, he attacked the EU, saying it was suffering because its views were radically different from the European mainstream.

He strongly opposes supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. He ended Slovakia’s military aid to Ukraine after his coalition government was sworn in on October 25. He also opposes EU sanctions on Russia and wants to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.

According to Mr. Fico, the mainstream media, non-governmental organisations and the liberal opposition are also responsible for the assassination attempt, a charge repeated by politicians in his ruling coalition.

Sonja Somolani, a political science professor at Comenius University in Bratislava, said the timing of Mr. Fico’s message was “no coincidence.” “It only confirms that the ruling coalition is using the assassination (attempt) conveniently and apparently effectively,” she said. As a result, “a mobilization of Smer supporters can be expected (in the elections),” she said.

Mr Fico’s Smer party is in a tight race with the main opposition Progressive Slovakia, a pro-Western liberal party. Mr Fico’s government has made efforts to reform public broadcasting – a move critics say would give the government complete control of public television and radio.

At the same time, his plans to amend the penal code to remove a special anti-corruption prosecutor have raised concerns among opponents that he will take Slovakia down a more authoritarian path, following in the footsteps of neighboring Hungary, led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Thousands of people have repeatedly rallied in the capital and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s policies.

Comenius University analyst Anita Vilagi said Smer’s potential win “would be seen by coalition parties as proof that the majority of voters still agree with their proposed direction for the country.”

Georgia Meloni has a chance to increase her influence in the EU

In Italy, citizens aged 18 and over are voting over two days, starting June 8, to fill 76 European parliamentary seats.

Premier Giordano Meloni is expected to be the big winner, reflecting the growth of her far-right Brothers of Italy, mostly at the expense of her coalition partners, the populist, anti-immigrant League and the center-right Forza Italia. Although the vote is not expected to affect the balance in the governing coalition, the result could expand Ms. Meloni’s influence in the European Union, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not ruled out an alliance with her group.

Capitalising on her popularity, Ms Meloni is running as the preferred candidate, although she has no intention of seeking a European Parliament seat.

Voters in Latvia, Malta and the Czech Republic were also casting their votes on June 8. Final results won’t be released until Sunday night, when all countries have voted. The main voting day is Sunday, when citizens of 20 European countries, including Germany, France and Poland, will cast their ballots for the 720-seat European Parliament.

Seats are allocated based on population, ranging from six in Malta or Luxembourg to 96 in Germany.