Description: Over 12 thousand people gathered in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava in protest against the sitting Prime Minister Robert Fico. The protests have been ongoing since Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Dec and sparked suspicions over Russian interference in Slovakia’s political landscape. Fico in the meantime hardened his stance on Ukraine, seized all aid to the country and adopted warmer political winds towards the government in Moscow. Protesters also blame Fico for the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018 which prompted his resignation from the PM position, but he returned to power in 2023.
Impact: Even though the protests have been constant and enlarged by the weeks, Robert Fico wouldn’t resign his position as he draws Slovakia’s foreign policy strategically closer to Russia. The recent restitution of kindred relations between the US and Russia could further elicit leaders such as Fico to adopt a more unilateral modus of conducting foreign policy which could cause deepened political crisis in the country. With Europe facing the consequences of Donald Trump’s isolationist and conservative foreign policy, crises of any kind, especially across Central or Eastern Europe could plunge the continent into further destabilization.