PM Robert Fico and Demokrati chair Jaroslav Naď (source: TASR/Facebook)
Prime Minister and Smer party leader Robert Fico has accused domestic media outlets of “deliberate silence” over remarks by opposition politician Jaroslav Naď, which the premier described as undemocratic.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Fico criticised journalists for failing to report on recent comments made by Naď, leader of the opposition party Demokrati and former defence minister in previous governments led by Igor Matovič and Eduard Heger.
Naď said one of the priorities of the next government should be to “dismantle and imprison this pro-Russian, treasonous scum”, in reference to the current Smer-led administration. He has frequently used the term “hlboká orba” (“deep ploughing”) to describe what he sees as a necessary purge of the judiciary, police and political elite, though he denies the expression is a call for violence.
Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May 2024 and continues to blame the opposition for the attack without any evidence, suggested the media’s alleged inaction suited Western powers and questioned whether his own rhetoric would have been tolerated had he used such language about opponents.
“Is this political speech? Is this democracy? Is this freedom of expression?” he asked, before adding that it was up to law enforcement agencies to determine whether Naď’s comments breached the law.
The four-time prime minister himself has repeatedly attacked not only political opponents but also their family members and police officers who investigated alleged corruption during his previous governments.
General prosecutor responds
General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka responded to Fico’s remarks on social media, insisting the prosecution service was “fully aware” of its constitutional duties without political prompting.
“The prosecutor’s office is not part of the executive branch and will not become a tool in a political battle,” Žilinka said. “Public calls or ironic greetings will not influence our decisions, which will continue to be based solely on legality and justice.”
Naď, who has recently been the subject of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation over alleged misuse of €7.4m in military aid funds, dismissed Fico’s criticism. He said Fico’s press conference had been an attempt to “distract from the fact that a million people in Slovakia now live in poverty”.
According to Eurostat, 18.2 percent of Slovakia’s population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, a sharp increase from 13.8 percent in 2022. The National Bank of Slovakia has warned of a rise in “material deprivation”, with households increasingly unable to meet basic needs.
Naď reiterated that his “deep ploughing” rhetoric referred to structural reform, including eliminating wasteful spending, depoliticising the police and judiciary and scrapping what he described as “nonsensical taxes”.
“Even farmers must plough deeply from time to time so that the harvest thrives,” he said. “Slovakia will thrive when we do the same.”
