People take part in the opposition-organised protest outside the Government Office in Bratislava on December 7, 2023, holding up different slogans: "You can't do everything!", "Let's stop them!" and "They won't win!". (source: TASR)
Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. Anti-government protests are continuing, but are unlikely to stop Fico. The presidential election date is announced. Andrej Danko drives into a traffic light, then drives off without calling the police.
If you have a suggestion on how to make this overview better, let me know at michaela.terenzani@spectator.sk.
What the protests mean
It was freezing cold in Slovakia last week, but that did not deter tens of thousands of people all over the country from gathering to protest against planned moves by the government of Robert Fico.
The names of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová, the journalist and his fiancée who were murdered in 2018, appeared on one of the banners being waved at the Bratislava protest, a reminder that some people are still waiting to see the changes that demonstrators called for back then. Notably, the numbers protesting people have grown considerably since mid December, when the previous protest took place. An estimated 35,000 people came out in 19 cities, including Prague. The protest In Bratislava, which was the biggest gathering, attracted an estimated 22,000 people.
The theme of the protests is “Let’s stop them”, which refers to a verse in the Slovak national anthem, but mainly conveys a very literal meaning – the wish to stop the ruling politicians from doing what they are doing: taking the country down what protestors see as being the same, illiberal path that Hungary has followed in recent years.
The problem for Fico
The government has the votes in parliament to enact the changes it has set out to make, and it is unlikely that the protests or the efforts of opposition parties will be able to stop them. But they clearly represent a problem for Fico. His Smer party intended to have the Special Prosecutor’s Office abolished by January 15 – that is, by today – but the office works on, and will continue to do so for as many as two more months.
