Fourth Cabinet of Robert Fico

Government of Slovakia
Date formed25 October 2023
People and organisations
President of SlovakiaZuzana Čaputová
Head of governmentRobert Fico
Deputy head of government
No. of ministers16
Member parties
Status in legislatureSimple majority (coalition)
79 / 150 (53%)
Opposition parties
Opposition leaderMichal Šimečka
History
Election(s)2023 Slovak parliamentary election
PredecessorÓdor's Cabinet

Fico's Fourth Cabinet is the incumbent government of Slovakia. It is a three-party coalition government composed of Direction – Social Democracy, Voice – Social Democracy and the Slovak National Party.

It was appointed on 25 October 2023 by President Zuzana Čaputová following the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election.[1][2] The National Council passed a vote of confidence in the government on 21 November 2023.[3]

Composition

PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft officeParty
Government's Office
Prime Minister25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Defence
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Economy
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD
Ministry of Environment
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment25 October 2023Incumbent SNS
Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and Utilization of Eurofunds
Peter Kmec
25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD
Ministry of Finance
Minister of Finance25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Transport and Construction
Minister of Transport and Construction25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture
Richard Takáč
25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD
Ministry of Interior
Minister of Interior25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD
Ministry of Justice
Minister of Justice
Boris Susko
25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
Foreign Minister25 October 2023Incumbent SMER–SD
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family
Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD
Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport
Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD
Ministry of Culture
Minister of Culture25 October 2023Incumbent SNS
Ministry of Health
Minister of Health25 October 2023Incumbent HLAS–SD

Supporting parties

Group/party Ideology Leader Deputies
Smer[lower-alpha 4]
Direction – Social Democracy		 Left-wing nationalism Robert Fico
42 / 150
Hlas[lower-alpha 4]
Voice – Social Democracy		 Social democracy Peter Pellegrini
27 / 150
Slovak National Party[lower-alpha 4] SNS
Slovak National Party		 Ultranationalism Andrej Danko
6 / 150
NK/NEKA
National Coalition/Independent Candidates		 Ultranationalism Rudolf Huliak
3 / 150
Slovak Patriot Ultranationalism Miroslav Radačovský
1 / 150

Criticism and concerns

Justice

Since Fico’s government came to power, some elite investigators and police officials who deal with top corruption cases have been dismissed or furloughed. The planned changes in the legal system include a reduction in punishments for corruption and other serious crimes, as well as cancelling whistleblower protection for members of the police, among other controversial changes.[4][5][6][7] The planned abolition of the office of the Special Prosecutor[8] and other changes to the justice system have attracted widespread condemnation both inside and outside Slovakia, sparking protests in major cities.[9][10][11] All of these decisions were made hastily, without public discussion, discussion with experts, or parliamentary debate.[12]

The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, stated that the European Commission will not refrain from sanctioning Slovakia in any way, such as funding cuts, if the actions of Robert Fico's government in regards to rule of law in Slovakia would be against the rules of the European Union.[12]

Media

Treatment of opposition news outlets

Robert Fico and his political associates have stopped responding to and inviting to their press conferences reporters from some major news outlets that criticise the government, such as Denník N, Aktuality.sk and SME, along with broadcaster TV Markíza, calling them "enemy media",[13] while giving preferential treatment to media more favourable to him.[14] Pavol Szalai, the head of the EU and Balkans desk Reporters Without Borders, stated that Fico was subjecting Slovakia's democracy to a "crash test".[15]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stated: “RSF condemns the ruling parties’ verbal attacks, their attempts to restrict access to information and their questioning of the independence of the public broadcaster RTVS.”[13]

Public broadcaster RTVS

The government has proposed a drastic cut in the financing of the RTVS, as well as a plan to split it into separate radio and television companies, attracting criticism from Reporters Without Borders and other organisations.[16][17]

RSF, International Press Institute, European Federation of Journalists, Free Press Unlimited and European Centre for Press and Media Freedom have voiced their concerns in an open letter to the President and the National Council. In the letter they have stated that these government actions can weaken the independence of this media and endanger the freedom of the press in Slovakia.[18][16][17]

Pro-Russian stance

Robert Fico is widely seen as pro-Russian,[19][20] sparking concerns about Slovakia's future geopolitical orientation and support for Ukraine.[21] Fico's government has stopped militarily supporting Ukraine[22][23] and Fico has been skeptical about sanctions, with his standpoint on Ukraine being compared to that of Viktor Orbán.[23]

Notes

  1. ↑ Independent, ran on the party ticket of and nominated by SNS.
  2. ↑ Independent nominated by SMER-SD.
  3. ↑ Independent, ran on the party ticket of and nominated by SNS.
  4. 1 2 3 Including several independents elected on the party's list.

References

  1. ↑ "Slovakia's Fico appointed prime minister for fourth time". Reuters. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Slovakia swears in a new Cabinet led by a populist ex-premier who opposes support for Ukraine". AP News. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Slovakia's new government led by populist Robert Fico wins a mandatory confidence vote". Independent. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Slovakia's new government closes prosecutor's office that deals with corruption and serious crimes". AP News. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  5. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "Oligarchovia blízki Smeru môžu dostať nižšie tresty, prísnejšie sa bude hľadieť na kajúcnikov". domov.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  6. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "Fico, Pellegrini a Danko prepisujú právny štát. Končí špeciálna prokuratúra, čurillovci prídu o ochranu". domov.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  7. ↑ Dömeová, Annamária (6 December 2023). "Policajti už nebudú chránení oznamovatelia. Zo zákona ich vyškrtli". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  8. ↑ Bayer, Lili (2023-12-06). "Slovakian PM criticised over plan to scrap corruption prosecutor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ↑ "Thousands rally in Slovakia to condemn the new government's plan to close top prosecutors' office". AP News. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "V Košiciach čítali aj list Ficovi. My nikam neodchádzame, odkázali premiérovi z protestu". kosice.korzar.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  11. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "Našu demokraciu si tu ubránime. Proti Ficovej vláde protestovali v Bratislave opäť tisíce ľudí". domov.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  12. 1 2 a.s, Petit Press. "Eurokomisár varuje Ficovu vládu. Ak jej kroky porušia pravidlá EÚ, Komisia proti Slovensku zasiahne". svet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  13. 1 2 Bayer, Lili (2023-11-15). "Slovakian prime minister sparks alarm with threat to restrict media". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  14. ↑ Barborák, Jaroslav (23 November 2023). "Fico s Dankom škodia občanom selektívnym prístupom k médiám, tvrdí Pavol Szalai z Reportérov bez hraníc (podcast)". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  15. ↑ Hovet, Jason (20 November 2023). "Slovakia's new PM Fico stops talking to some media amid rift". Reuters.
  16. 1 2 a.s, Petit Press. "Reportéri bez hraníc vyzývajú prezidentku a parlament, aby odmietli plány vlády pre RTVS". svet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  17. 1 2 Teraz.sk (2023-12-13). "Reportéri bez hraníc apelujú na prezidentku a parlament". TERAZ.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  18. ↑ "Slovakia: RSF and its partners urge parliament and president to halt attempts to undermine the public broadcaster's independence | RSF". rsf.org. 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  19. ↑ Henley, Jon; correspondent, Jon Henley Europe (2023-10-01). "Robert Fico doubles down on pro-Russia stance after Slovakia election win". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  20. ↑ Lopatka, Jan (1 October 2023). "Robert Fico, pro-Russian Slovak political heavyweight wins another election". Reuters.
  21. ↑ Editorial (2023-10-03). "The Guardian view on Slovakia's election: an ominous signal from central Europe". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  22. ↑ "Slovakia's Fico announces halt of military aid to Ukraine". POLITICO. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  23. 1 2 Hovet, Jason (26 October 2023). "Slovakia's Fico will not support more military aid to Ukraine at EU summit -Slovak media". Reuters.
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