Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, is attracting the same negative attention as Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán as he adopts similar policies against mass migration and the sanctions war with Russia.
The “illiberal” politician, whose Smer party is notionally democratic socialist but populist in practice, is already being threatened with sanctions, including the withholding of European Union funding.
This is to discourage Fico from becoming what German-owned POLITICO describes as “a thorn in the EU’s side,” like Orbán.
“The [European] Commission is way more inclined to not repeat the mistakes that happened in Hungary about a situation that was tolerated for way too long and Orbán was allowed to escalate,” warned European Parliament Vice President Martin Hojsík, referring to the EU’s unelected executive.
The pretext for action against Fico, as in the case of Hungary and, under its former conservative government, Poland, will likely come in the form of alleged “rule of law” violations.
Fico is abolishing the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which he accuses of having “significantly contributed to the violation of human rights” by abusing its power.
Liberal and left-wing figures within Slovakia and the wider European Union insist this is a “dangerous case of political interference,” while Fico’s supporters argue he is simply exercising his democratic mandate to reform Slovakia’s Deep State.
Fico began his third non-consecutive term as Prime Minister in late 2023, having served previously from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. Like Donald Trump, he was hit with a string of criminal charges — now dropped — after leaving office and is accused of governing on a platform of “revenge.”
