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PRAGUE.- The Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Ficoin essential situation after being shot on Wednesday, He took energy for the fourth time final October and oriented the nation’s international coverage in direction of a extra pro-Russian coverage.
He additionally launched prison regulation and media reforms, which raised issues concerning the weakening of the rule of regulation.
Throughout a profession spanning three many years, Fico, 59, has skillfully alternated pro-European positions with anti-European and anti-American nationalist positions, in a signal of their willingness to vary course relying on public opinion or the altering political actuality.
Fico adopted most excessive positions within the final 4 years together with strident criticism of Western allies, guarantees to cease navy assist for kyiv, opposition to sanctions on Russia, and threats to veto any future Ukrainian invitation to NATO.
Your coalition He stopped official Slovak arms shipments to Ukraine and has denounced what he referred to as Western affect within the warfare.which in his opinion solely led to the Slavic nations killing one another.
Fico, over the past electoral campaignPetr David Josek – AP
Fico remained steadfast all through his profession, nevertheless, with guarantees to guard the residing requirements of these left behind in a rustic that was a part of the Warsaw Pact, the place circumstances for a lot of are slowly catching as much as these of Western Europe and the place many have comparatively fond reminiscences of the communist period.
“Fico is an influence technician, by far the perfect in Slovakia. It has no equal in the meanwhile,” says sociologist Michal Vasecka of the Bratislava Institute of Politics. “Fico is all the time conscious of opinion polls and understands what is occurring” in society, he provides.
His marketing campaign name of “Not a single bullet” for Ukraine appealed to voters on this nation of 5.5 million individuals, the place Solely a minority on this NATO member nation believes that Russia is accountable for the warfare in Ukraine.
Fico, whom analysts see impressed by Hungarian Viktor Orban, has stated that he cares about Slovak pursuits and needs the warfare to finish. Western allies and Ukraine say suspending navy support to kyiv would solely assist Russia.
From left to proper, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico; that of Poland, Donald Tusk; Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala and Hungary’s Viktor Orban pose for a photograph throughout their assembly in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Picture/Petr David Josek)Petr David Josek – AP
“We see Viktor Orban as a kind of European politicians who are usually not afraid to brazenly defend the pursuits of Hungary and the Hungarian individuals,” Fico stated final 12 months. “He places them first. And that ought to be the position of an elected politician: to take care of the pursuits of his voters and his nation.”
Born right into a working class household, Fico graduated in regulation in 1986 and joined the then ruling Communist Occasion.
After the autumn of the communist regime in 1989, he labored as a authorities lawyer, gained a seat in Parliament beneath the brand new title of the Communist Occasion, and represented Slovakia earlier than the European Courtroom of Human Rights.
Fico has led the SMER-Social Democracy get together since 1999, after founding it to oppose the center-right reformist cupboard.
He took benefit of dissatisfaction with liberal financial reforms to realize his first electoral victory in 2006. However he additionally stored the nation on monitor to undertake the euro in 2009 regardless of forming a authorities with nationalists.
Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico throughout a leaders’ assembly in Brussels EUROPEAN COUNCIL/ALEXANDROS MICHA – EUROPEAN COUNCIL/ALEXANDROS MICHA
His second cupboard gained after one other centre-right coalition dissolved two years later, and a tricky stance in opposition to immigrants helped him win re-election in 2016. After that victory, he declared that he needed Slovakia as a part of the core of the Union. European, with France and Germany.
Fico’s political fortunes light in 2018 when journalist Jan Kuciak, who was investigating high-level corruption, and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova have been murdered by a hitman.
This fueled huge anti-corruption protests and Fico was pressured to resign. SMER misplaced energy within the 2020 elections to events that pledged to remove corruption, and its get together cut up.
Robert FicoOndrej Deml – CTK
Polling beneath 10%, Fico tried to deal with voters’ fears throughout the coronavirus pandemic when he criticized the federal government’s well being measures. “He grew to become essentially the most distinguished political consultant of a motion in opposition to masks and vaccination,” stated political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov.
On the identical time, he took benefit of dissatisfaction over disputes within the ruling coalition and raised doubts about its pro-Western course, echoing new pro-Russian narratives on social media that had unfold all through Slovakia.
Fico additionally rejected accusations of corruption which have dogged his get together all through his political profession. He was charged with prison conspiracy in 2022 to make use of police and prosecutor info on political enemies, costs he denied and which have been later dropped.
Lieutenant Jan Lopatka
ReutersConocé The Belief Undertaking