Slovaks vote in a referendum on lifelong payments for populist leader Fico
Slovaks will vote in a referendum on Saturday to decide whether to cancel lifetime payments after the terms of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and other leaders end.
They will also vote on whether to reopen the office of the special prosecutor and the National Crime Agency, both of which deal with major crimes and corruption.
The referendum followed a petition organized by the Democrats, an extra-parliamentary pro-Western opposition party, and signed by more than 350,000 citizens in the country of 5.4 million, the threshold required by law.
Only one referendum in Slovakia’s history – the 2003 vote on the country’s membership in the European Union – has been successful. Others failed due to low turnout.
Polls suggested Saturday’s turnout would not reach the required 50%.
Slovak prime ministers and parliamentarians who serve at least two terms are entitled to a lifetime payment (a monthly amount equal to the salaries of MPs in Parliament) as part of measures to improve the security of leading politicians.
The payments were implemented following an assassination attempt on Fico, who was shot and seriously injured following a government meeting in 2024; This shocked the small country and resonated throughout Europe. This aid was only available to former presidents before 2024.
In early 2024, Slovak MPs approved a plan by Fico’s coalition government to eliminate the special prosecutor’s office, which deals with serious crimes such as corruption, organized crime and extremism, and the government also disbanded the police unit that deals with such crimes.
The law was subject to harsh criticism at home and abroad, and thousands of Slovaks repeatedly took to the streets to protest the law. Several people linked to Fico’s party have faced investigations into corruption scandals.
Fico has been a divisive figure since returning to power in 2023. His pro-Russian and other policies have sparked numerous protests.
Fico said he would not vote in this referendum.
