"Around 10,000 people filled Bratislava's Freedom Square on Tuesday evening to protest the policies of Prime Minister Robert Fico's government, with rallies also taking place in several other cities across Slovakia. The turnout was smaller than last week when 16,000 gathered in the capital. On that occasion, demonstrators also heard four liberal opposition parties announce a cooperation deal. The protests are an extension of the series of demonstrations that began after Fico returned as prime minister in late 2023."
"International noses were put out of joint again by Fico's early September meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, his refusal to stop buying Russian energy and his push to change the constitution to give Slovak law precedence over that of the EU. All this, alongside authoritarian clampdowns on media and NGOs, has reportedly convinced the Party of European Socialists (PES) to permanently exclude Fico's nominally left-leaning Smer party from the EU faction."
Around 10,000 people filled Bratislava's Freedom Square to protest policies of Prime Minister Robert Fico's government, with rallies in multiple Slovak cities. Turnout fell from 16,000 the previous week when four liberal opposition parties announced a cooperation deal. The demonstrations began after Fico returned as prime minister in late 2023 and now challenge his domestic and international stance. Fico's meetings with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, continued purchases of Russian energy, a bid to give Slovak law precedence over EU law, and reported clampdowns on media and NGOs have drawn international criticism and led the Party of European Socialists to move to exclude the Smer party.
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