2024-01-12 23:08:51
The protest organized by three opposition parties in the capital Bratislava and several other cities in the EU country on Thursday evening is primarily aimed at the planned abolition of the Special Prosecutor’s Office (USP), which has been responsible for economic crime and the fight against corruption for 20 years, responsible for organized crime and political crimes is.
The opposition warns of a threat to the rule of law and accuses the government of wanting to cover up high-profile corruption cases from previous periods in government of Fico’s party (until 2020). The planned reduction in the punishment range for crimes and the shortening of the statute of limitations are also driving people onto the streets. The approximately 20,000 protesters on Thursday carried banners with slogans such as “Stop Fico!” and “Fico to prison!”, but also calls for the election of the liberal former Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok.
APA/AFP/Tomas Benedikovic Around 20,000 people took to the streets on Thursday against the planned reforms
The consequences of the 2018 attack are noticeable
The country is still struggling with the consequences of the 2018 attack in which journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner were shot, explains political scientist Tobias Spöri in an interview with ORF.at. Kuciak’s research placed a heavy burden on the government under Fico at the time and revealed that corruption and mafia connections reached into the highest circles.
“Ultimately, this is about the question of how to deal with political punishments, crimes and organized crime, and the current trials are another episode in this long-standing story,” said Spöri. The murder led to mass protests and ultimately to Fico’s resignation in 2018. Former Interior Minister Robert Kalinak and former police chief Tibor Gaspar also resigned as a result.
The alleged mastermind of the attack was acquitted last year, and Fico, Kalinak and Gaspar have returned to politics since autumn 2023. Fico’s party Direction – Slovak Social Democracy (Smer-SSD) emerged as the strongest force in the September 30 parliamentary election and is now in coalition with the moderate, social democratic Hlas and the pro-Russian SNS.
Archyde.com/Radovan Stoklasa There was also a large demonstration in Bratislava in 2018 after the murder of the journalist Kuciak
EU “sensitized” by Hungary and Poland
“Fico has always acted as a protector of Slovakia and has radicalized himself significantly during the election campaign,” said Spöri, referring to the Hungarian Prime Minister. Like Viktor Orban, Fico would increasingly rely on anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and threat scenarios from foreign powers and a “morally corrupt West”.
If the project were actually implemented, it would “massively restrict” the rule of law in Slovakia. The planned abolition also raises concerns on the part of the EU Commission. In December, after analyzing the draft law, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement to the European Commission in which it pointed to “serious risks” to the EU’s financial interests that could justify such proceedings.
“The EU is now very sensitive to Poland and Hungary,” said Spöri. A procedure like the one in Hungary is not unlikely, but can of course only be initiated when the law is actually on the table. The Commission will probably look “very closely” to ensure that Slovakia does not become a “second Hungary” within the EU.
Landmark presidential election in March
In this context, the upcoming presidential election in March is likely to be crucial for the further development of democracy and the rule of law in Slovakia. Presidents in Slovakia can veto laws or challenge them before the Constitutional Court; the office is currently held by human rights activist Zuzana Caputova.
“Now there is a comparatively liberal president who is perceived across all parties as a voice of reason and a liberal politician,” said Spöri. “If this pillar falls away, Slovakia will at least lose a strong voice for democracy and the rule of law.” It is significant that Caputova withdrew another candidacy with the argument that she could no longer endure the smear campaign against her family.
APA/AFP/Kenzo Tribouillard The Slovak Prime Minister Fico was head of government from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018
Disappointment and mistrust in politics are high
It is not yet possible to predict whether the current protests could have similar consequences for Fico as they did in 2018, says Spöri. There are no signs of such rapid and strong dynamics as back then. But it depends on how many people can still be mobilized in the long term – and it is certainly noteworthy that the protests have been going on since Christmas and that it is not just Bratislava’s oppositional and left-wing bubble that is taking to the streets.
If the law is pushed through parliament overnight, it will probably mobilize a lot more people. “What certainly won’t go away is this extreme distrust of the current government, but also of the general political elite in Slovakia.”
In an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, Zuzana Homer from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Bratislava described the Slovaks as “a people without memory” after Fico’s return to the political stage. However, the extent of disappointment and disillusionment with politics stands out in a regional comparison, emphasizes Spöri. “It says a lot about the political climate in a country when 90 percent of the population believes that politicians are corrupt.”
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