Fico Shooting: An Opportunity For Regional Autocrats To Weaponise “Polarisation” – QUICK TAKE

The fallout will likely have long-term impacts on Slovakia’s social cohesion

16 May 2024

Matej Šimalčík

Marcin Król Fellow

The shooting of Robert Fico was a tragic event, but it has also given the Smer government an opportunity to further its illiberal agenda. Representatives of the governing coalition were quick to blame the shooting on the opposition, media and civil society, when what they call “polarisation” is largely a result of their own vitriolic narratives.

Until yesterday, Slovakia did not have any experience with assassination attempts on high-ranking government officials. Thus, the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico has rattled Slovak society and will likely have long-term impacts on social cohesion (or lack of it).

Smer government weaponises polarisation

Slovak society has already been largely polarised, as was evidenced during last year’s parliamentary and this year’s presidential elections.

This polarisation has been exacerbated by increasingly vitriolic narratives by various cabinet members against the opposition as well as against the media and civil society at large.

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Matej Šimalčík

Marcin Król Fellow

Matej Šimalčík is the Executive Director of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, a think tank that focuses on foreign and security policy issues related to East Asia. Matej's research looks at China’s economic and political presence and influence in Central Europe, elite relations, corrosive capital, and the role of European legal instruments in mitigating risks posed by China. He is also a senior associate at the Slovakia-based law firm Nechala and partners. Before that, Matej gained experience as an in-house legal counsel for the Slovak branch of Transparency International, a global anti-corruption watchdog, and several Slovak and Czech law firms.  In 2021, he was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list (Slovak edition) in the Governance and Social Innovation category.

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