Slovakia protests ignite demands for prime minister's exit

On Friday evening, Slovakia became the scene of mass anti-government protests held in more than 50 cities. In the capital, Bratislava, over 40,000 people gathered at Freedom Square, and throughout the country, the number of participants reached about 100,000. Demonstrators once again called for Prime Minister Robert Fico to step down.

Freedom Square in Bratislava, situated near the government headquarters, filled with crowds even before the protest began. The organisers reiterated their demands from two weeks ago, calling for Fico's resignation. Among the chanted slogans were: "Resignation", "Ashamed of Fico", "Treason", and "Russian agent". The main slogan of the demonstration was "Slovakia is Europe".

Prime Minister Fico repeatedly accused the protest organisers, opposition parties, and media of attempting to overthrow the government. Government coalition politicians claimed that the alleged coup was backed by the Georgian Legion, which Fico said was also behind protests in Ukraine and Georgia. Fico emphasised that contrary to the organisers' claims, the government does not plan for Slovakia to leave the European Union.

Anti-government demonstrations began in December of last year following Prime Minister Fico's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A few weeks later, Fico defended his party colleague Tibor Gaspar, who in a televised debate suggested the possibility of Slovakia leaving the EU.

Further demonstrations are planned for two weeks' time, on the seventh anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée. In 2018, Prime Minister Fico was politically blamed for this crime, which led to his resignation in March 2018 under the pressure of mass protests.