Populist Strongman Fico Usurps the Narrative in Slovakia

Fico is focused on disparaging familiar foes of illiberalism: Brussels, NATO and the Western "elites"

6 June 2023

Albin Sybera

Contributing Editor

Polls for autumn’s election have the former PM and populist Robert Fico’s party in the lead. Hoping to continue the momentum, Fico and his allies are disseminating disinformation and sowing confusion in Slovak society, following many well-known Russian narratives.

In the latest of his attacks against the “elites” in Bratislava and Brussels, Slovakia’s populist, former PM Robert Fico accused NATO  of allegedly launching a campaign in Slovakia to “turn” the electorate of his Smer-SD party ahead of the 30 September early elections. Fico went further to say NATO was being aided by Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and the former cabinet members of Eduard Heger’s administration.

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In doing so, Fico is attempting to prey on analysts, state officials and politicians who have been ringing alarm bells that it is Fico and the Smer-SD party which has become an instrument of pro-Kremlin propaganda, spreading Russian propaganda on television, social media and most importantly, in the mainstream politics.

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Albin Sybera

Contributing Editor

Contributing Editor. Albin is a freelance journalist, consultant and a former clerk at the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic. Besides Visegrad Insight, his texts can be also found at Britské listy or Balkan Insight and he is also a news reporter covering Czechia and Slovakia at bne IntelliNews.

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