Slovak PM’s secretive Vietnam visit fuels public uproar
Since visiting Moscow in December, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has not made any public appearances, leading to speculation that he might be in Vietnam. As the newspaper Sme reported on Saturday, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini is aware of Fico's whereabouts but has chosen not to reveal them.
Pellegrini's press team confirmed the information provided by Sme about the head of government. The president has been informed about the duration and location of the prime minister's holiday," they told the newspaper. Moreover, they added, "It is not the head of state's role to comment on these details. This is an independent decision of the prime minister."
Since the visit to Moscow on 22 December 2024, Fico has not been seen in public, though he did release two videos online commenting on Ukraine's cessation of Russian gas transit.
On Friday, the newspaper "Denník N" reported that one of its readers recognised that one of these videos was filmed in a luxurious suite of the five-star hotel Capella Hanoi in Vietnam. One night in this establishment costs around £5,350.
Protests in Bratislava
The publication prompted a strong reaction from social media users. Additionally, Michal Šimečka, leader of the main opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS), stated that his party would ensure everyone suffering from high prices and feeling let down by Fico's voters will learn how much the prime minister's stay in the Hanoi hotel cost, while former foreign minister and presidential candidate of Slovakia, Ivan Korčok, remarked that the situation is unprecedented and that the prime minister is not merely a private citizen, even while on holiday.
On Friday, thousands of Slovaks gathered in Bratislava to voice their dissatisfaction with the prime minister's policies. The protesters chanted slogans such as "We are not a Russian puppet!" and waved Slovak and European Union flags.
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Source: PAP
