Robert Fico is a populist chief who staged a political comeback final yr.
The 59-year-old has beforehand been in comparison with former US president Donald Trump.
However his election victory last autumn meant NATO additionally had one other chief who was sympathetic to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Robert Fico in ‘life-threatening condition’ after assassination attempt – follow live updates
Critics have voiced rising fears Mr Fico would abandon Slovakia’s pro-Western course.
This might echo a few of the considerations raised about Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, one other NATO member.
1000’s of individuals have repeatedly held protests throughout Slovakia in opposition to his insurance policies.
Mr Fico and his SMER, or Route get together, secured practically 23% of the votes on the polls in October.
He’s recognized for foul-mouthed tirades in opposition to journalists and has campaigned in opposition to immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
The prime minister has beforehand opposed EU sanctions on Russia – and has been in opposition to Ukraine becoming a member of NATO.
He believes the US and different nations ought to use their affect to drive Russia and Ukraine to strike a compromise peace deal.
Mr Fico additionally repeated Mr Putin’s unsupported declare that the Ukrainian authorities runs a Nazi state from which ethnic Russians within the nation want safety.
The politician based the SMER get together in 1999 and has served because the nation’s prime minister for over 10 years throughout three totally different spells.
Born to a working-class household, Mr Fico graduated with a legislation diploma in 1986 and joined the then-ruling Communist get together.
After the 1989 fall of Communist rule, he labored as a authorities lawyer, received a seat in parliament below the renamed Communist get together, and represented Slovakia on the European Court docket For Human Rights.
With a marketing campaign based mostly on overturning austerity reforms, Mr Fico began his first four-year spell because the nation’s chief in 2006.
He returned as chief within the parliamentary elections of 2012, however failed in an try to win the presidential election of 2014.
In 2016, regardless of profitable the parliamentary polls, Mr Fico’s get together was unable to safe a majority and after a multi-party coalition allowed him to stay as chief, he resigned in 2018.
As chief of the biggest get together following the October 2023 election, Mr Fico shaped a coalition with Voice – Social Democracy (Hlas) and the Slovak Nationwide Social gathering, and commenced his fourth time period as prime minister.
All three coalition events are both leftist or nationalist and, having beforehand expressed anti-American views, he has spoken about what he referred to as Western affect in Ukraine’s warfare which solely led to Slavic nations killing one another.
His recognition amongst some, nonetheless, has been based mostly on guarantees to guard the dwelling requirements of these left behind in a rustic the place circumstances for a lot of are solely slowly catching up with western Europe and the place many maintain comparatively fond reminiscences of a communist-era previous.
Ukraine ought to make ‘compromise’
Earlier this yr, Mr Fico reiterated his controversial perception Ukraine ought to quit territory to finish the warfare with Russia.
The chief had beforehand promised to cease sending weapons to Ukraine and to dam any effort to hitch NATO.
Then in January, he informed Slovak public broadcaster RTVS: “There needs to be some form of compromise.
“What do they anticipate, that the Russians will go away Crimea, Donbas and Luhansk? That is unrealistic.”
In the identical interview, he added Ukraine’s membership of NATO would “merely be a foundation for World Battle Three” and Ukraine was “not an unbiased and sovereign nation” which as an alternative was below the “affect and management” of the US.
Mr Fico has continued to come back below strain over his controversial political choices – together with from ongoing protests by folks throughout Slovakia.
Protests in opposition to controversial modifications to TV and radio
Two weeks in the past, hundreds of individuals demonstrated in opposition to his controversial overhaul of Slovakia’s radio and TV companies.
Critics mentioned it might consequence within the authorities taking full management of the media.
The proposed modifications would imply the general public broadcaster often called RTVS would stop to exist and get replaced by a brand new organisation.
“If Fico takes management of RTVS, it might imply a decisive step on the way in which in direction of Orban and Putin,” Michal Simecka, of the principle opposition get together Progressive Slovakia, informed hundreds of protesters in Bratislava.
In April, Mr Fico refused to again the implementation of the EU’s new migration system in his nation.
The bloc’s new pact set out shorter safety and asylum procedures and make reductions in immigration numbers from the Center East and Africa.
He mentioned: “We’re saying unequivocally that you simply can not order a rustic that it should settle for, within the Slovak case, as much as 300 migrants nothing about, or pay 20,000 euros per every.”