Slovak PM defies protests, accuses foreign meddling
The Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, has firmly rejected calls for his resignation, which have arisen during widespread protests across the country. He asserted that a change of government should only result from elections, not street demonstrations.
In a televised appearance on Saturday, Fico accused non-governmental organisations and the opposition of trying to destabilise the country through foreign-funded protests. He claimed that they aimed to provoke clashes with security forces and to force the government's resignation.
The Prime Minister emphasised that the protests are fuelled by false information about Slovakia's alleged plan to exit the EU, which he described as "an absolute lie." He also reiterated claims that foreign experts with experience from Georgia and Ukraine are involved in organising the protests.
"Services are working on a list of foreign individuals"
Prime Minister Fico announced that Slovak intelligence services are compiling a list of foreign individuals who are allegedly attempting to overthrow the government. He stated that these individuals would be expelled from the country in the coming days, although he did not specify how many people this might involve.
According to Fico, a third of the demonstrators opposing the Slovak government are Ukrainians. He claims that Ukrainian television presents an image of a collapsing power system in Slovakia. Fico also criticised President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted on the X network in Slovak: "Bratislava is not Moscow. Slovakia is Europe."
Fico supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who plans to veto the extension of EU sanctions on Russia. The Slovak Prime Minister stressed that he would not agree to any attempts to deprive Hungary of its voting rights in the EU Council.
The recent wave of anti-government protests in Slovakia began shortly after Fico's visit to Moscow, where he met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on 22 December 2024. On Friday, organisers estimated that about 60,000 people demonstrated against the government in Bratislava, with around 100,000 protesting in other cities.
The scale of these demonstrations is reminiscent of the Slovak opposition protests following the 2018 murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée. At that time, Fico was also the head of the government and eventually decided to resign.
