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Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico standing in front of a Slovakian flag
Image: Nadja Wohlleben/REUTERSImage: Nadja Wohlleben/REUTERS

Robert Fico

Robert Fico is currently serving his fourth term as Slovakia's prime minister. The leftist-populist politician was shot and wounded during an assassination attempt in a small Slovakian town in May 2024.

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All Content on this topic

A screenshot of the crowdfunding campaign for the Underground Courier (Podzemny Kurier), showing a mock-up of the front page and a summary of donation goals reached

Slovakia: Government calls to punish fictional newspaper

In Slovakia, a fictional paper has been exploring a future in which Russia invades the nation after defeating Ukraine.
PoliticsSeptember 13, 2024
Protesters wave EU flags and call for ministers to resign

Protests against Slovakia's authoritarian government

Thousands have taken to the streets to demonstrate against Prime Minister Robert Fico's government coalition.
PoliticsAugust 18, 2024
Slowakei | Die Leute halten ein Banner mit der Aufschrift „Hände weg von RTVs (Slowakisches öffentliches Radio und Fernsehen)“

Slovakia: How political unrest consumes a country

Death threats, assassinations – the fight between political groups is escalating in Slovakia.
SocietyJuly 18, 202405:15 min
People protest against the planned revamp of RTVS in Bratislava.

Slovakian parliament approves plan to revamp RTVS

Opposition members walked out of parliament before the vote to overhaul the country's public broadcaster.
PoliticsJune 21, 2024
Pellegrini speaks during his inauguration in Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovakia: Fico ally Pellegrini sworn in as president

The new president of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, called for a "just peace" in Ukraine during the swearing-in ceremony.
CrimeJune 15, 2024
Bratislava castle and two apparent blocks seen against an orange evening sky

Slovak journalists fear govt. repression after Fico shooting

Critics have said Slovakia's government appears to be using the prime minister's shooting to curtail press freedoms.
PoliticsJune 15, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 6 June 2024

EU elections special with analysis from DW's Jack Parrock. How is Brussels battling disinformation? What's important to Gen Z voters? Who’s afraid of Georgia Meloni? Why would Germans with migration backgrounds vote AfD? How is Robert Fico’s brush with death playing in Slovakia? Is the road running out for the European dream of borderless travel? And what’s at stake for Ukraine?
PoliticsJune 6, 202455:00 min
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico looks straight at the camera

Slovakia: Robert Fico makes first comments since shooting

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico blamed opposition parties for an assassination attempt last month.
PoliticsJune 5, 2024
Fico speaks at a campaign rally in September 2023

Slovak PM Fico released from hospital after shooting

In mid-May, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot with four bullets and had to undergo multiple surgeries.
PoliticsMay 31, 2024
The F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica

Slovakia: 'Positive prognosis' for injured PM Fico

Premier Robert Fico is in a stable but serious condition after a shooting attack, Slovakia's health minister says.
CrimeMay 18, 2024
A bodyguard in suit and tie, and rescue workers dressed in orange accompany a stretcher

Slovakia: 'We have to stop this hatred'

After months of anti-government protests in the capital there was shock but limited compassion from Bratislavans.
PoliticsMay 18, 2024
F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated in Handlova, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Slovakia: PM Fico in 'serious' state after another operation

Friday's operation lasted almost two hours, Robert Fico's deputy said.
PoliticsMay 17, 2024
Prime Minister Robert Fico is seen wearing a suit, holding a red binder

Robert Fico shooting highlights Slovakia's deep polarization

The assassination attempt on PM Robert Fico is indicative of Slovakia's long history of political strife and violence.
PoliticsMay 17, 2024
A general view of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was undergoing operation after being shot

Slovak PM in stable condition after surgery

On Wednesday, Robert Fico was targeted by a gunman during a public event.
CrimeMay 16, 202402:34 min
Picture taken on May 15, 2024 shows Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico being transported from a helicopter by medic

Slovakia: PM Fico able to speak, 'lone wolf' suspect charged

Slovakia's president-elect visited Prime Minister Robert Fico in hospital, saying he was able to speak but not easily.
PoliticsMay 16, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 16 May 2024

The many political lives of Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Czechia plots its own course, a devastating week for Ukraine, and an AfD check. Also: Georgia’s Foreign Agents Law, Catalonian election hangover, Turkish crime crackdown and a fashionable reimagining of the Balkans route.
PoliticsMay 16, 202455:00 min
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks with people in Handlova, Slovakia

Former Slovak PM Heger: Political violence on the rise

Speaking with DW, former Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said "violence has no room in democratic society."
CrimeMay 16, 202405:26 min
A view of rescue workers and policemen taking Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico into a hospital

Slovak PM Fico severely injured after being shot

Slovakia's PM Robert Fico is out of life-threatening condition after severe injuries from an assassination attempt.
CrimeMay 16, 202402:08 min
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico being transported from a helicopter by medics to the hospital

Slovak PM Robert Fico shot and injured

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in hospital in serious condition after being shot four times on Wednesday.
CrimeMay 16, 2024
Emergency workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica

Slovakia: PM Fico shot in 'an attack on democracy'

Slovakian Prime Minister Fico underwent surgery after being shot in an "assassination attempt," his office has said.
CrimeMay 15, 2024
Robert Fico in Vietnam

Vietnam-Slovakia ties to improve, thanks to new Slovak PM

Robert Fico is looking to reestablish ties with Vietnam seven years after relations became strained.
PoliticsApril 5, 2024
A man walks past election posters of two presidential candidates: Ivan Korcok (left) and Peter Pellegrini (right), Bratislava, Slovakia, March 15, 2024

Slovakia decides: Democracy's future at stake in election

A victory for the populist prime minister's ally on Saturday will make it easier to push through unpopular policies.
PoliticsMarch 21, 2024
Slovak PM Robert Fico speaks to the press during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not seen) in Berlin, January 24, 2024. Behind him are the Slovak and German flags

Slovakia: What's changed in Fico's first 100 days in office?

Returning PM Robert Fico's first 100 days in office have been marked by widespread protests at home and unease abroad.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2024
A large crowd of people holding up placards and EU and Slovak flags at a protest

Is Slovakia on a fast track to illiberalism?

Protests have grown in response to the prime minister's judiciary proposals, which many say threaten the rule of law.
Rule of LawJanuary 15, 2024
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (centre, in a pale blue coat) poses for a 'family photo' with the members of Robert Fico's (left of the president) new government, Presidential Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia, October 25, 2023

Slovakia: Fico's cabinet includes controversial appointments

The cabinet of Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico includes some controversial figures.
PoliticsNovember 24, 2023
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) grimaces as he speaks to his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico (right), at the European summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 26, 2023

Hungary, Czech Republic grapple for influence over Slovakia

The Czech Republic is trying to use its close ties with Slovakia to keep its neighbor in Europe's pro-Ukraine camp.
PoliticsNovember 21, 2023
Slovak prime minister Robert Fico arriving at a summit

Slovakia: Is populist PM Robert Fico a threat to EU, NATO?

How much of a risk does the return of nationalist Robert Fico as prime minister pose to EU and NATO unity?
PoliticsNovember 3, 2023
Four small children play outside yellow bungalows on both sides of a simple road while carpets and laundry dry on walls and lines in the sun

Slovakia: Record number of Roma elected to parliament

Most of Slovakia's new Roma lawmakers are members of OLANO and Friends, which has huge support in the Roma community.
PoliticsOctober 19, 2023
The election billboard for the Republika party, the Smer party, and the SNS party from left to right seen on the street in Bratislava.

Populists and propaganda: Electoral thriller in Slovakia

The Slovak election campaign was turbulent, and featured pro-Russian propaganda, fake news and anti-Europe slogans.
PoliticsOctober 8, 202312:36 min
Former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's left-leaning Smer party has won the country's parliamentary elections.

Slovakia election: Former PM Fico secures victory

Former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's left-leaning Smer party has won the country's parliamentary elections.
PoliticsOctober 1, 202301:57 min
Former Prime Minister Robert Fico speaking on election night while outside a polling station

Slovakia election: Strongman Robert Fico's return to power

The election win of former Prime Minister Robert Fico threatens to turn Slovakia away from Western partners.
PoliticsOctober 1, 2023
Robert Fico, leader of the Smer-SD party, stands in front of a blue background printed with the year 2023 during an electoral TV debate, Bratislava, Slovakia, September 26, 2023

Slovakia: Election is a test of its pro-Western values

Slovakia's parliamentary election on September 30 will be a test of its faith in liberal democracy.
PoliticsSeptember 28, 2023
Illegal migrants walk along a dirt track as they cross the Slovak–Hungarian border near Vyskovce Nad Iplom, Slovakia, September 6, 2023

Slovakia: Will a rise in illegal migration sway voters?

The number of illegal migrants entering Slovakia from Hungary has risen. Will it affect the outcome of the election?
MigrationSeptember 22, 2023
Michal Simecka

Slovakia: Liberals seek to prevent return of firebrand Fico

A return to power for former PM Robert Fico risks casting Slovakia into EU isolation warns challenger Michal Simecka.
PoliticsSeptember 13, 2023
Election posters for the OLANO and Smer-SD parties in Slovakia, August 2023

Slovakia: Scandal overshadows pivotal election

A scandal has engulfed Slovakia's police and intelligence community just weeks before a key parliamentary election.
PoliticsSeptember 6, 2023
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 05.05.2022

EU bans Russian oil, Poland struggles with rule-of-law funding cuts, Slovakia’s former PM is accused of forming a criminal organisation and British Sign Language gets official recognition. Also: trauma therapy for Ukrainian refugees, Russian exiles in Turkey, a wind-turbine controversy in Normandy and Ibiza gives climate change top billing.
PoliticsMay 5, 202254:59 min
Former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico leaving a police station after his arrest

Slovakia police arrest former PM Fico ahead of rally

Robert Fico, a vocal critic of anti-COVID measures, was detained before a protest defying coronavirus restrictions.
PoliticsDecember 17, 2021
Zuzana Caputova at the swearing-in ceremony in Bratislava

Slovakia's first female president sworn in

The 45-year-old is the country's first female president and the youngest person ever to be elected to the office.
PoliticsJune 15, 2019
Headshot of a smiling man with glasses and blond, curly hair

Slovakia rejects right-wing populism

Keno Verseck
Zuzana Caputova's win shows citizens' wishes for greater social justice and comprehensive social solidarity.
PoliticsMarch 31, 2019
Slovakian presidential candidate Zuzana Caputova

Slovak activist poised for presidential runoff victory

Fed up with corruption, many Slovak voters are turning to a longtime human rights lawyer for hope.
PoliticsMarch 29, 2019
Slovakian presidential candidate Zuzana Caputova

Slovakia heads to polls, a year after Kuciak murder

With a promise to wipe out corruption, political neophyte Zuzana Caputova leads the candidates in a divergent field.
PoliticsMarch 16, 2019
Poster of Jan Kuciak surrounded by lit candles

Police make arrests in Slovak journalist's murder

Slovak police have arrested suspects in the killing of a journalist, a case that brought down the government.
CrimeSeptember 27, 2018
Demonstrators attend a protest called "Let's stand for decency in Slovakia" in reaction to the murder of Slovak investigative reporter Jan Kuciak

After Kuciak murder, Slovak media under threat

Reporter Arpad Soltesz speaks to DW about his concerns for press freedom and working as a journalist in Slovakia.
MediaMay 1, 2018
Slovakian police chief Tibor Gaspar

Slovak police chief resigns after protests

Tibor Gaspar is the latest to relent to public pressure following the murder of an investigative journalist in February.
PoliticsApril 18, 2018
Protesters in Slovakia

Slovakia: Thousands demand police chief resign

Thousands of Slovaks have taken to the streets of Bratislava calling for the resignation of the police chief.
PoliticsApril 16, 2018
Demonstrators in Slovakia hold up picture of murdered journalist Jan Kuciak.

Slovakia rallies to demand police chief step down

Thousands of Slovaks have rallied to demand the country's police chief be fired following the murder of Jan Kuciak.
PoliticsApril 6, 2018
Peter Pellegrini

New Slovak government wins confidence vote

The Slovak parliament has approved a new government under the Peter Pellegrini, whose predecessor quit recently.
PoliticsMarch 27, 2018
Protesters in Slovakia

Slovak protesters demand snap polls

Anti-government demonstrators say the resignation of Prime Minister Fico won't solve the political crisis.
PoliticsMarch 16, 2018
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico

Slovakia case reveals limits of EU policy making

Slovakia is getting a new government, but the protest movement shows no signs of abating.
PoliticsMarch 16, 2018
Demonstrators attend a protest called "Let's stand for decency in Slovakia"

Slovakia: Fico will 'still pull strings'

Researcher Milan Nic told DW there is little sign anti-government protests in Slovakia will subside.
PoliticsMarch 16, 2018