Mass protests in Slovakia against the left-right cabinet of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico continued with rallies under the slogan “Slovakia is Europe” held in more than 40 cities and towns across the country.

Some 9-11,000,- rallied on the capital Bratislava alone on March 7, state STVR broadcaster and liberal online news outlet Aktuality.sk reported, while demonstrations in other EU cities also took place. Košice, the second largest Slovak city, held a rally of more than 15,000.

“The whole government suffers from some Russian propaganda disease. They spread Russian propaganda further as though [they] forgot about the sovereignty of Slovakia and [they] are trying to fight for Russia,” Marián Kulich, one of organisers from the Mier Ukrajine [Peace for Ukraine] NGO stated.   

He added that “we believe that this public pressure influences the way politicians make decisions.” In January, Fico claimed a “coup” involving Mier Ukrajine, opposition, and Georgian pro-Ukrainian units is allegedly unfolding in Slovakia and he managed to discourage the opposition from holding a no-confidence motion against himself after moving the no-confidence session behind closed ground on grounds of sharing classified information about the “coup.”

The protest also took place as words of Erik Kaliňák from Fico’s Smer party’s member of the European Parliament about Russia being a more reliable neighbour if Ukraine was defeated still resonated across the political spectrum and wider public. Last week, Smer's radical legislator Luboš Blaha also met with Russia's spy chief Sergei Naryshkin, fueling more speculations about the extent of Russian influence over the Smer party. 

Kaliňák made the comments ahead of the EU's March 6 security summit, where Slovakia backed further EU military support of Ukraine despite Fico's earlier threats of blocking the summit conclusions. 

Slovakia shares a border with Ukraine at the very east of the country, and the westernmost part of Ukraine was part of interwar Czechoslovakia during the years of the First Republic, 1918-1938. After Smer formed the sitting cabinet with centre-left Hlas and far-right SNS in the autumn of 2023, it reoriented the country’s foreign policy from being one of the staunchest backers of Ukraine in its fight against Russian 2022 invasion to a Kremlin-pleasing stance.  

As bne IntelliNews covered, Slovakia’s president Peter Pellegrini, who paved the way for Fico’s fourth cabinet in 2023 while chairman of Hlas, described Kaliňák as “incapable of analysing the situation in the world” and that “it is not necessary to take it [his views] seriously.”

Organisers of the protests also called on three Hlas legislators rebelling against the ruling coalition, Ján Ferenčák, Samuel Migal‘ and Radomír Šalitroš to “turn on the right side of history.”

Fico has been pushing to keep his ruling coalition alive, taking advantage of his dominant position in the government, and has rearranged the coalition composition, taking one ministerial portfolio from Hlas and SNS each, which he is now using as a bargaining chip in talks with rebelling legislators from the ruling coalition parties.

Last week, Pellegrini signed in far-right nationalist Rudolf Huliak as Minister of Tourism and Sport following Fico’s nomination. Huliak, who was elected on the SNS list to the National Council (Parliament), and two other legislators previously rebelled against the SNS grouping, but are expected to restore a possible majority of 76 for Fico in the parliament of 150.   

During Saturday’s STVR political programme, Fico said that the new Minister of Investments will likely be one of the three remaining rebelling legislators – Ján Ferenčák, Samuel Migal‘ and Radomír Šalitroš.

“Either one of the legislators who left from Hlas will get this position, or these legislators will send forth a nominee with relevant qualification,” Fico stated, adding that he wants to “restart” 79 majority in the parliament.

Fico wants to have the majority restored before the regular parliamentary session on March 25 and hinted that early elections possibility is decreasing, saying “at this moment we are only as far from early elections as it will be necessary.”