Deputy Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko (SNS), Minister of Investments Richard Raši, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer), and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) during a press conference following the working congress of the Ministry of Investments with municipal leaders in Brezno on October 8, 2024. (source: TASR - Ján Krošlák)
Prime Minister and Smer leader Robert Fico lashed out at journalists on Tuesday, accusing them of being ‘possessed by the devil’ after being questioned about the stability of his governing coalition. Fico criticised the media’s coverage of government actions and coalition disputes, stating, “You’re going after us like bloodthirsty bastards.”
Leaders of the three coalition parties—Smer, Hlas, and the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS)—gathered in Brezno, central Slovakia, to project unity, despite evident coalition tensions, including disagreements over a consolidation package, the removal of the opposition leader as deputy speaker of parliament, and conflicting views on an SNS lawmaker investigating the pandemic response, who has spread vaccine misinformation so far.
Fico, however, dismissed any notion of a government crisis on October 8.
“Stop pretending to be politicians. You must respect the results of democratic elections,” the prime minister told journalists. “There are areas where we [coalition parties - Ed.] disagree, but there is not a hint of a government crisis here. Show me where this alleged crisis exists?”
