Frustration and hope. Slovakia after Kuciak’s murder

Summary:

Slovakia is going through a period of important social and economic changes. The murder of the investigative journalist Ján Kuciak in February 2018 activated a significant part of the public, which led to the largest anti-government protests in the country since 1989. Their immediate result was the resignation of the long-standing social-democratic Prime Minister Robert Fico. The rise in public dissatisfaction at the rule of the elites bore fruit in victory for the political novice Zuzana Čaputová in the presidential elections.

However, the public’s dissatisfaction with politics has also been expressed in a rise in popularity for radical forces, including Marian Kotleba, which are working to remove Slovakia from the EU and NATO. The changes on the Slovak political scene will most likely culminate in the parliamentary elections planned for spring 2020, in which the leftist-nationalist ruling camp will face off against the right-liberal opposition and the anti-system radicals. Therefore, although Slovakia is enjoying good economic figures at the moment, it is currently facing the risk of serious political turbulence.

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