Slovakia Thousands protest against populist Fico government
Several thousand people protested against the three-party government led by left-wing populist Prime Minister Robert Fico in several Slovakian cities this evening. Opposition media estimated the number of participants at the largest rally in the capital Bratislava at 17 to 18 thousand.
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- 35 years after the fall of the communist regime, the opposition in Slovakia believes that democracy is once again under threat.
- Thousands of people responded to their call to demonstrate against the government.
- The opposition parties accuse the Fico government, which consists of two social democratic and one right-wing populist party, of having authoritarian tendencies.
Two liberal and one conservative opposition party had called for the protests. The occasion was the 35th anniversary of the start of the so-called Gentle Revolution on November 17, 1989 against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
The brutal suppression of a student demonstration in Prague at the time triggered mass protests in Czechoslovakia, which ultimately led to the fall of the dictatorship. The anniversary is therefore a public holiday in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia as "Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy".
Democracy once again endangered according to the opposition
The opposition parties accuse the Fico government, consisting of two social democratic and one right-wing populist party, of authoritarian tendencies. That is why the population must once again take to the streets in defense of freedom and democracy, they justified their call to protest. In the crowd of demonstrators in Bratislava, banners with inscriptions such as: "The government is taking away our democracy and freedom. In return, it offers us revenge and hatred".
Michal Simecka, the leader of the largest liberal opposition party "Progressive Slovakia" (PS), said in his speech at the protest rally in Bratislava: "Freedom and democracy are no guarantee of good government. Otherwise Robert Fico would not have governed us for 14 years." Fico had won the parliamentary elections in the fall of 2023, becoming head of government for the fourth time after a brief interruption.
SDA