“Now that Robert Fico is back in power, he is out for revenge. He’s hunting for journalists,” said Košice-based activist Ján Gálik, who is one of the founders of the For A Decent Slovakia initiative, a civil society group which organized the protests after Kuciák’s murder.
“They are again creating an atmosphere where more journalists can, and I hope not, but it’s possible, can get murdered again. He’s fully responsible for this atmosphere.”
Rule of law test in presidential elections
The upcoming presidential election will be the next test for the rule of law.
Slovaks head to the polls this Saturday to elect the country’s new president, with a likely runoff between the top two candidates to be held on April 6.
Although the role of president in Slovakia is largely ceremonial, outgoing President Zuzana Čaputová, who isn’t seeking re-election, has been an important buffer against some of the controversial decisions taken by Fico’s government.
That buffer may soon no longer exist as the Slovak parliament’s speaker — and Fico’s right-hand-man — Peter Pellegrini is the frontrunner to be the next president. But it will likely be close. Pellegrini is on track to win 37 percent of the vote, with liberal opposition candidate Ivan Korčok, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S., predicted to get 36 percent.
“He [Pellegrini] doesn’t acknowledge the balance of power. And since he is also part of this governing coalition, we could never expect him to go to the Constitutional Court or anybody for any contentious issues. He’s just going to be a sort of postman: he’s going to sign things and go abroad,” Ódor, the former prime minister, told POLITICO.
According to Ódor, the presidential election is key to the future direction of the country.
“I don’t think it would be good that this government has everything, we need a balancing element that will represent all citizens, not just 55 percent of them,” he said.
