|
The latest wave of protests was fueled by a trip by Fico to
China where he again met Putin, along with other authoritarian
leaders. Fico traveled to Beijing for a military parade hosted
by Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the 80th anniversary of
the end of World War II.
Fico was the only head of a European Union country to attend the
event, where he discussed bilateral relations with Putin in
their third meeting since the Russian all-out invasion of
Ukraine.
Before Beijing, the previous two visits took place in Moscow.
Fico has not visited Kyiv or anywhere in Ukraine hit by the war,
but has repeatedly called for “normalizing” relations with
Russia.
“Shame, shame,” the crowd at the central SNP square in
Bratislava chanted, along with “We had enough of Fico."
A recent plan for austerity measures presented by government —
that the parliament is set to debate on Friday — was another
target of protesters' ire, as well as various scandals,
including the misuse of European Union funds.
“This is just a beginning,” Alojz Hlina, an organizer from the
Freedom and Solidarity opposition party told the noisy crowd.
“We have to stop them.”
Thursday’s protest will be followed by a rally by another major
opposition force, the liberal Progressive Slovakia, on Tuesday.
Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. He
returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or
Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after
campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message.
He has openly challenged the European Union’s policies over
Ukraine while his critics have charged that Slovakia under Fico
is following the direction of Hungary under Prime Minister
Viktor Orbán, who is regarded by many as an autocrat.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
