Frustration and hope. Slovakia after Kuciak’s murder
Frustration and hope. Slovakia after Kuciak’s murder

Author(s): Krzysztof Dębiec, Jakub Groszkowski
Contributor(s): Jim Todd (Translator)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Political Theory, Sociology, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Politics and society, Migration Studies, Sociology of Politics
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: Slovakia; presidential elections; ruling coalition; social democracy; foreign policy; reforms; immigrants; Kuciak’s murder;
Summary/Abstract: The presidential elections in March 2019 clearly demonstrated the battle lines and the scale of divisions within the Slovak society. The main axis of these divisions is the public’s attitude towards the strongest party in the ruling coalition – Smer – sociálna demokracia [Direction – Social Democracy], led by the former Prime Minister Robert Fico, which with one brief interruption (2010-12) has held power in Slovakia since 2006. However, an increasingly important role is being played by the split between supporters of Slovakia’s further integration into Western structures and opponents of the pro-Western elites who seek to radically redefine the state’s foreign policy under the banner of defending its sovereignty. Taking this into account, Slovak society can be divided into three main groups: those who demand that the discredited elites leave office and that the functioning of the state be improved, though without any major change in foreign policy; those who primarily want stability and are afraid of major changes; and those who want to replace the elites and are demanding radical change to the country’s political system and foreign policy.

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