Category Archives: Slovakia

Deputy PM says attack on Slovakian PM was ‘politically motivated’ – as it happened

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This blog has now closed. You can read all our coverage on the attack on Robert Fico here

Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s president, said she spoke with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

After a delay, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and the neighborhood commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi, issued a statement on Georgia.

The adoption of this law negatively impacts Georgia’s progress on the EU path. The choice on the way forward is in Georgia’s hands. We urge the Georgian authorities to withdraw the law, uphold their commitment to the EU path and advance the necessary reforms detailed in the 9 steps.

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Slovakia PM Robert Fico out of ‘life-threatening situation’ after being shot

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Suspect in custody after shooting attack on populist prime minister as deputy prime minister says Fico ‘will survive’ assassination attempt

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, has undergone hours of surgery after being shot in an assassination attempt that prompted warnings across Europe of rising political violence.

Late on Wednesday the deputy prime minister, Tomáš Taraba, told the BBC he believed the operation had gone well. “I guess in the end he will survive,” Taraba said, adding: “He’s not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.”

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Slovakia’s opposition hopes European vote will put brakes on populist PM

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Progressives counting on a strong performance to rein in Robert Fico’s drift away from rule of law

As fears grow that Slovakia is following Hungary down a path away from the rule of law, the country’s opposition says it is determined to prove that citizens want a democratic future.

Since coming back to power last year, Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, has taken aim at the media, NGOs and prosecutors.

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Ukraine-sceptic government ally Peter Pellegrini wins Slovakian presidential election

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Close ally of populist prime minister Robert Fico claimed 53.85% of vote, beating pro-Western opposition Ivan Korčok

Nationalist-left government candidate Peter Pellegrini has won Slovakia’s presidential election ahead of liberal, pro-western opposition candidate Ivan Korčok.

The close ally of populist prime minister Robert Fico received 53.85% of the vote with the ballots from more than 98% polling stations counted by the Statistics Office in Saturday’s runoff election, topping former foreign minister Korčok who had 46.14%.

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Slovakia: pro-western diplomat contests Russia-friendly politician for presidency

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Polls show Ivan Korčok and Peter Pellegrini, an ally of prime minister Robert Fico, neck-and-neck before Saturday’s runoff

A pro-western diplomat and a politician accused of promoting Russia-friendly talking points will face off in a nailbiting presidential runoff in Slovakia on Saturday, amid fears the country is sliding away from the west.

Ivan Korčok, a former foreign minister, and Peter Pellegrini, the speaker of parliament who is backed by Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, are neck-to-neck in the polls.

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Slovakia’s brain drain picks up pace under populist leader Robert Fico

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Tens of thousands of young Slovaks who see little future in an increasingly intolerant society are leaving for Prague

Although Marek Mikič spent a few years studying and working abroad, he never expected to leave his native Slovakia permanently. He had a group of close friends and a music festival to run in the eastern town of Košice.

But he changed his mind last September after the re-election of Robert Fico, a populist who promised he would stop military aid to Ukraine, promote conservative family values, and muzzle the courts that have been investigating high-level corruption cases tied to his allies.

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Slovakia election: pro-EU diplomat beats ally of populist PM to set up runoff for presidency

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Ivan Korcok won most votes in first round, ahead of parliament speaker Peter Pellegrini

A pro-EU former Slovak foreign minister has scored a surprise victory in the first round of a presidential election, setting up a runoff vote with a key ally of the populist prime minister, Robert Fico.

Slovakia’s presidential election is a chance for Fico, whose views on Ukraine have angered critics for veering too close to Russia, to strengthen his grip on power. Opposition forces want a counterbalance to his rule.

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Slovakia’s opposition sounds alarm over Russia tilt as election looms

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Report alleges that candidate asked Hungary to help arrange visit to Moscow in 2020 – when prime minister – to boost popularity

Slovakia risks moving further away from the west, government critics have warned, as a report alleged that a presidential candidate aligned with the country’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, had previously sought an invitation to Russia to boost his position at home.

Slovaks will vote in a presidential election on 23 March, in what many consider to be a test for the country’s democracy and future within Europe.

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Czech Republic to suspend talks with Slovakia over Russia ties

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Slovakian foreign minister criticises ‘double standards’ in the reaction to his meeting with Sergei Lavrov

Slovakia’s foreign minister has defended a controversial decision to meet his Russian counterpart, after the Czech Republic announced it was suspending intergovernmental consultations with Bratislava amid concerns it is shifting away from western policy on supporting Ukraine.

In a statement emailed to the Guardian on Thursday, Juraj Blanár, who recently met Russia’s Sergei Lavrov in Turkey, hit out at “double standards”, noting that some other Nato foreign ministers had also engaged with the Russian minister.

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EU told Slovakia that its reforms risked ‘irreparable damage’ to rule of law

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Warnings about legislation scrapping anti-corruption office and lowering penalties were ignored

Brussels told Slovakia it risked doing “irreparable damage” to the rule of law, it has emerged, before the country’s MPs approved legal reforms that critics say are aimed at protecting the prime minister’s political and business allies.

The Slovakian news outlet SME reported on Wednesday that the European commissioner for justice, Didier Reynders, had written last week to Robert Fico’s government urging it not to fast-track the legislative package through parliament.

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‘You will not replace us’: a deadly attack on a Slovakian gay bar – and its link to a fast-spreading racist ideology

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Fifteen months after two men were shot in Bratislava, evidence suggests the killer may have been helped by an unidentified US-based extremist

The October evening was warm and sunny. At about 7pm, two young men stepped out of the Tepláreň bar on Zámocká Street in the centre of Bratislava, to sit on a concrete bench and drink lemonade. Matúš, 23, had just arrived in the Slovakian capital to study Chinese. His 26-year-old friend worked in a local clothes shop and enjoyed anime, K-pop and dance.

Standing in an alcove a few metres away was Juraj Krajčík. The 19-year-old had been loitering for about half an hour, witnesses later said. Shortly after the two patrons of the Tepláreň sat down, Krajčík stepped forward, raised a .45-calibre handgun and fired several shots at them. Then he turned and ran, gun in hand.

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Slovakian PM criticised over plan to scrap corruption prosecutor

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Critics of Robert Fico fear aim is to halt investigations into individuals connected to ruling Smer party

Slovakia’s populist new prime minister, Robert Fico, has been accused of promoting a “poisonous” plan to undercut prosecutors working on sensitive corruption cases.

Fico, a controversial figure known for railing against independent media and criticising military aid to Ukraine, has announced plans to scrap the special prosecutor’s office, an institution that deals with cases of high-level corruption and organised crime.

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Geert Wilders’ victory confirms upward trajectory of far right in Europe

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Dutch general election results show how populist and far-right parties are advancing into political mainstream

Geert Wilders’ shock victory in the Dutch general election confirms the upward trajectory of Europe’s populist and far-right parties, which – with the occasional setback – are continuing their steady march into the mainstream.

There is no guarantee that Wilders, whose anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) won 37 seats in Wednesday’s ballot – more than twice its 2021 total – will be able to form a government with a majority in the Netherlands’ 150-seat parliament.

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Slovakian prime minister sparks alarm with threat to restrict media

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Robert Fico describes leading broadcasters and newspapers as hostile and says they are ‘unwelcome guests at government office’

Slovakian journalists and international watchdogs have expressed alarm after the new prime minister, Robert Fico, described leading media outlets as hostile and threatened to restrict their access.

Fico, who took over as Slovakia’s leader in October as part of a coalition government led by his populist Smer party, said this week that some of the country’s biggest outlets were not welcome in his office.

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Slovakia’s pro-Russia former PM Robert Fico invited to form coalition

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Three-time former prime minister, who promised to end military aid to Ukraine, expected to seek deal with two other parties

Slovakia’s president has asked Robert Fico, a populist, pro-Russian three-time former prime minister who campaigned on a promise to end military aid to Ukraine, to try to form a coalition government after his party came top in weekend elections.

President Zuzana Čaputová stressed on Monday that the new government would have to be one “which will serve all citizens”, saying the coming days would be “a time of political negotiation” not just between parties but between her and party leaders.

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Who is Robert Fico, the pro-Russian leader poised to head Slovakia’s coalition government?

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Leadership of populist three-time PM could have ramifications for Ukraine, EU and Slovakia’s rule of law

Slovakia’s president, Zuzana Caputova, on Monday handed the country’s former prime minister Robert Fico a mandate to start negotiations to form a coalition government after his Smer-SD party won almost 23% of the vote in weekend elections.

If he succeeds, the populist, pro-Russian leader’s fourth term as prime minister could have significant ramifications for Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine, EU unity and cohesion, and the rule of law in the central European country.

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Slovakia election: pro-Moscow former PM on course to win with almost all votes counted

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Robert Fico’s Smer party moves ahead of Progressive Slovakia in vote that could fuel fears about future foreign policy stance

The Smer party, led by the populist former prime minister Robert Fico, was on course to win Slovakia’s election on Sunday, garnering more support than its rival Progressive Slovakia in a dramatic knife-edge race.

With almost all votes counted, Smer was poised to take nearly 23% of the vote. Michal Šimečka’s Progressive Slovakia (PS) came second with close to 18%, followed by Peter Pellegrini’s Hlas with 14%.

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Slovakia election 2023: exit poll shows Progressives in lead but Smer ahead in early counts – live

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Election could decide whether country sticks with liberal, pro-western line or begins to lean more towards Russia

Slovakia’s election day in pictures

“There is a real concern that after the vote Slovakia could become some sort of Trojan horse of Russia in the EU and NATO,” said Andrej Matisak, a journalist at Slovak daily Pravda.

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Slovakia election: polls open in knife-edge vote with Ukraine high on agenda

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Election could decide whether country sticks with liberal, pro-western line or begins to lean more towards Russia

Voting has started in a knife-edge election in Slovakia that could decide whether the country sticks with its liberal, pro-western line or abandons its staunch support for neighbouring Ukraine to lean more towards Moscow.

After a virulent campaign that has included physical brawls and amid a wave of online disinformation, the populist, nationalist three-time prime minister Robert Fico and his Smer-SD party were neck and neck with the newcomers Progressive Slovakia heading into the vote, with PS just ahead in two of the final four opinion polls.

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Feline uncertain? Cats do give clues if the fur’s about to fly, study finds

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Study of 105 pairs of interacting felines decodes the cat behaviour that puzzles humans – and flags up the unsubtle battle cry of claws and yowling

When cats get together it can be difficult to tell rough and tumble play from a full-blown scrap. Now researchers say they have decoded feline behaviour to help owners spot when the fur might be about to fly.

Dr Noema Gajdoš‑Kmecová, first author of the research from the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, in Košice, Slovakia – a cat owner herself – said understanding feline interactions could be difficult.

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