The Prime Minister's Son as Story of the Week
The trigger was a piece by Denník N, according to which Fico publicly supports the development of autonomous cars while his son Michal works at a company in that industry. Denník N ↗ Denník N had previously reported that the son had moved his companies into the Smer party's building and declined to say whether he pays rent there. Denník N ↗Each newsroom picked a different register. Aktuality.sk summed up the week with a satirical roundup titled "The Wolf of Wall Smer." Aktuality.sk ↗ A commentator for the daily SME writes about "Michal Fico's greatest benefit." SME ↗
Instead of responding to the findings on their merits, Smer redirected attention: in a televised debate with SaS, it went on the counterattack against the family of opposition leader Michal Šimečka (PS). Pravda described how the debate turned into a series of personal attacks. Pravda ↗ The conservative outlet Postoj responded with the thesis that Michal Šimečka is not Michal Fico — in other words, that equating the two cases is a false equivalence. Postoj ↗
To be clear: so far these are journalistic findings and political interpretations, not a proven conflict of interest. No institution has ruled on the matter.
Two Faces of the Referendum
Slovakia is preparing for a referendum on July 4, pushed through by the opposition. Voters will answer two questions: whether to abolish the so-called lifetime pension for constitutional officials, which the prime minister, among others, receives, and whether to restore the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the National Crime Agency, which the ruling coalition abolished. TASR/Teraz.sk ↗A survey by the agency AKO for JOJ 24 showed that 40.5 percent of people would turn out for the referendum — below the 50 percent threshold required for it to be valid. ta3 ↗ Part of the opposition has already given up: MP Michal Šipoš (Slovensko) said the referendum has lost its meaning for him, though he is not discouraging people from taking part. SME ↗
Paradoxically, at the same time the ruling Hlas-SD is reaching for a referendum as a tool of its own. Parliament Speaker Richard Raši presented a constitutional amendment that would allow parliament's term to be shortened via referendum, and called on the opposition to support it. "We are not making this change against anyone," he declared. ta3 ↗ Public broadcaster STVR noted that even part of the coalition does not believe the proposal will succeed. STVR ↗ A commentary in Pravda warns against "democracy cash-on-delivery, with one click." Pravda (commentary) ↗
Fico Between the Constitution and Brussels
The prime minister toughened his stance this week on two value-laden issues. Fico invoked the constitutional definition of marriage as a union of a man and a woman and told same-sex couples that the Interior Ministry's special registry office will not register even a marriage concluded abroad. HN ↗ ta3 ↗He opened a second front toward Brussels. During a visit by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Fico accused her of double standards and unfair resolutions against Slovakia. SITA ↗ He told her that when talking about the rule of law, she should look at Slovakia between 2020 and 2023. Startitup ↗ Metsola also met with President Peter Pellegrini and Speaker Raši — the main topics were the EU's future budget, EU funds, and the situation in Ukraine. SITA ↗
The State Pays, the State Fines
Outside the main headlines, several cases involving public money in healthcare piled up. The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases was fined in connection with a cleaning services contract. SME ↗ The company Odu-Trade had to publicly reject claims about the low quality of construction of 18 emergency medical service stations. SME ↗And at the hospital in Prešov, where construction had stopped due to disputes over concrete quality, work resumed after five weeks — a court had meanwhile taken up the matter as well. Aktuality.sk ↗ The common denominator is trust in public procurement within a sector that has long been under financial strain.
Under the Radar
The Ministry of Defense presented a plan for technical modernization; the opposition PS called it a plan full of nonsense and criticized the lack of a vision. Aktuality.sk ↗ PS MP Tomáš Valášek claims that Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák's plan ignores the Russian threat. SME ↗On the opposition side, a realignment of forces is taking shape: neither Igor Matovič (Slovensko) nor KDH leader Milan Majerský fully rejected the idea of a joint conservative bloc ahead of the elections. Denník N ↗
And a diplomatic first: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Slovakia for the first time. Denník N explains why everyone — including Fico — wants to be on good terms with New Delhi. Denník N ↗
What hotinfo is watching
- July 4: referendum on the lifetime pension and the restoration of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and NAKA — whether turnout will exceed the 50 percent quorum (a survey suggests it will not).
- The fate of Hlas's constitutional amendment on shortening the parliamentary term via referendum — whether the opposition will support it, or whether it will remain without a majority.
- Whether official responses from institutions will follow regarding Michal Fico's companies — so far it is only media coverage, not action by the authorities.
- The date and program of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to Slovakia.
- Further developments regarding the registry office and same-sex marriages concluded abroad — whether the dispute will move to the courts.
