Robert Fico was forced to resign as prime minister in 2018 after protests
The poster seemed to express the rage of the nation.
When tens of thousands of people took to the streets in 2018 to call for Robert Fico to resign as Slovakia's prime minister , one protester scrawled the words “mafia prostitute” on a strip of cardboard.
Mr. Fico was pictured wearing a striped black and white prisoner's uniform, a sign that the mob wanted to jail him for the murder of Jan Kuciak, an investigative journalist who was investigating links between government advisers and organized crime.< /p>
Kuciak was shot dead along with his fiancee in their home near Bratislava, triggering a wave of horror in a country that has become almost accustomed to stories of corruption.
The 27-year-old journalist was investigating alleged cases of corruption. connections between government officials and the 'Ndrangheta, the powerful Italian mafia based in the southern region of Calabria.
He claimed that the Italian mafia acquired agricultural land in eastern Slovakia through intimidation and then fraudulently demanded huge EU subsidies. It was alleged that in return Fico's government received generous “intermediary fees”.
The reporter also uncovered the fact that the topless model and Miss Universe contestant, appointed senior aide to the Prime Minister, was previously the girlfriend of an alleged 'Ndrangheta cocaine smuggler.
Mr Fico was accused of running a mafia state in colluding with corrupt businessmen, tax officials and police officers – charges he denied.
But just days later he was forced to resign.
Fico bounces back
That was then. Despite accusations of corruption, Mr. Fico eventually recovered.
In last September's elections, he participated in a pro-Russian campaign to end military support for Ukraine, amid opinion polls that showed a third of Slovaks believe the West provoked the war.
Aware of declining public support for the war effort Kyiv, he told his supporters that if he returned to power, “we will not send a single round of ammunition to Ukraine.” .
Man detained after shooting Photo: Radovan Stoklasa/REUTERS
His populist party, known as Direction or SMER, won the election with a majority of the vote and he was able to form a coalition with two other parties, beginning his fourth term as prime minister -minister.
Returning to power, one of his first actions was to abolish the post of special prosecutor. office that investigated organized crime and corruption.
He shut down the anti-corruption body in February, despite EU warnings that the move would threaten the rule of law in Slovakia.
His decision sparked widespread street protests, echoing demonstrations that took place after the killing. against Kuciak in 2018.
Prosecutors investigated Mr. Fico, but the charges were dropped in 2022. Several people associated with his party are being prosecuted on corruption charges.
Mr Fico is bundled into a car after the shooting 'in revenge mode'
In December the Prime Minister described the special prosecutor's office as 'evil' “.
“He acted in revenge mode and got rid of the institution that persecuted his minions and which was very critical of all crooks and criminals,” said Samuel Abraham, a political activist. analyst in Slovakia.
The shooting of the prime minister came against a backdrop of partisan and deeply divided politics, which was evident during parliamentary elections in the fall and the recent presidential election last month.
The presidential contest was won by Peter Pellegrini, who was prime minister from 2018 to 2020 after the overthrow of his ally Fico.
Mr Pellegrini called his opponent, Ivan Korkok, a pro-Western diplomat, a “warmonger” because of his support for Ukraine against Russia.
Acknowledging defeat, an embittered Mr Korkok said: “It turns out you can become president of the Slovak Republic by spreading hatred.” He said he had been unfairly characterized as a “military candidate.”
It was in the context of this charged political atmosphere that the prime minister was shot several times in a city 85 miles from Bratislava on suspicion of murder. attempt.
“Recent political campaigns have been filled with hatred and division. Sooner or later, someone with a gun, perhaps some weirdo, will pull the trigger. You reap what you sow,” Mr. Abraham said.
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