23/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - Pittella backs temporary suspension of Slovakian SMER party. On Wednesday 23 September, the leader of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella (Italy), proposed that the SMER party of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico be suspended from the Party of European Socialists. Pittella says that recent statements by Fico critical of Muslim migrants do not belong within the Social Democratic family. (MB)