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In recent years Slovakia has been perceived by some international observers, and presented by its own government, as an island of political stability in the Visegrád group of Central and East European countries. Slovakia, so the story went, was still governed in full compliance with liberal-democratic norms—in contrast to neighboring states (Hungary, Poland, and partially the Czech Republic), where populist parties and politicians undermined democratic institutions and provoked harsh conflicts with the opposition, the media, and civil society.1
Recent dramatic events, however, have cost the Slovak government its image as Visegrád's democracy champion. In late February 2018, young investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée were shot to death in their own residence. The murder triggered massive public protests, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico and Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák. Before his death, Kuciak had been investigating corrupt ties among business groups, the state bureaucracy, and leaders of Fico's Smer-SD (Direction–Social Democracy), the most powerful party in the current governing coalition. When links were reported between individuals working at top levels in the Slovak government and suspected associates of a major organized crime syndicate based in Italy's Calabria region, many citizens' confidence in Slovakia's democracy plummeted.
In an effort to limit the protests' impact, discourage citizens from joining them, discredit civic activists, and, above all, keep himself in power, Prime Minister Fico resorted to conspiracy narratives involving charges that foreign actors (including U.S. philanthropist George Soros) were interfering in the country's domestic affairs. In so doing, Fico was following in the footsteps of such politicians as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Hungary, ruling-party leader Jarosław Kaczyñski in Poland, and Czech president Miloš Zeman.
Fico's remarks provoked even deeper public anger, and were followed by massive demonstrations comparable in scale to those that took place during the November 1989 Velvet Revolution that ended Communist rule in the former Czechoslovakia. In their wake, both Fico and Kaliňák resigned in March. Fico's deputy prime minister and fellow party member Peter Pellegrini took over as prime minister. Public protests continued, however, and more high-ranking officials have since announced their departures.
Young people took the lead in organizing this remarkably successful protest movement, which has taken on the moniker "For a Decent Slovakia." Previously, many...