Slovakia’s Rising Polarisation Paves Way to the Return of Kleptocratic Fico

As Slovakia’s four-party coalition collapses due to the crude style of Matovič’s politics, Fico and Pellegrini are looking more likely to recapture power sooner rather than later.

Slovakia is going through difficult times right now, both politically and economically. There is a highly polarised society, an unstable coalition, the highest inflation rates in more than 20 years, and a fight amongst law enforcement agencies.

Slovakia discovered that further dividing an already fractured society does not require much. The ruling party has exacerbated the division by suggesting anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion, as we witnessed during the largest covid wave. The murky waters of Slovak politics are more profound than one would have thought.

History is repeating itself. Early in 2021, Slovakia went through a severe coalition crisis that resulted in the resignation of six ministers alongside a massive covid wave that led to the death of thousands of people. Early in the summer of 2022, a major coalition crisis reemerges, accompanied by a significant inflation wave and a war in the country’s eastern neighbour.