This year is bound to be a scorching one in Slovakia, at least in terms of politics. In the coming September snap election, the people will decide how the new government is formed, and in so doing also determine the future heading of their country. Two-time former prime minister and chairman of the SMER-SD party, Robert Fico, is in the running and eagerly preparing for his next comeback.
What will be your primary focus in the pre-election campaign?
SMER – Social Democracy has been in Slovakia for more than 20 years and has gained the trust of the people as a party that always prioritizes the needs of the citizens and the needs of Slovakia herself. We are a stable part of Slovak politics and we have experience with responsible leadership and governance of the country. And our key interests are the Slovak people, their needs, interests, and the social aid provided to them. Every government should care first and foremost about its citizens. Not about the interests of foreign countries or its own ego, like we have, sadly, been bearing witness to these last three years. It has been exactly this three-year period of irresponsible rule by inexperienced and, chiefly, unprepared politicians that has shown Slovakia just how important it is to convince voters not just in the campaign, but primarily in real life that politics means a responsibility to the people, that it is hard, professional work for the people.
According to polls, there are currently two parties leading the charts, both with the term "social democracy" in their names. You are the leader of one, the other one is chaired by your former fellow party member, Peter Pellegrini. What do you see eye to eye on and where are your differences instead?
You said that right, Mr. Editor. There are currently two parties in Slovakia that subscribe to politics for the people, or social democracy. The main difference is that SMER – Social Democracy stands on two pillars. Advocating for a social state and fighting for Slovakia's national interests. As we have shown many times in the past, be it during the refugee crisis and the refusal to implement migration quotas, the fight that ultimately ended with the Gabčíkovo waterworks returning to government hands, or with our diligent energy policy where we made it our priority that the construction of the Mochovce nuclear power plant is finished. We were always capable of standing up to even the more overpowering interests in the European Union if we knew that it was necessary and essential for Slovakia. And as we could see during the refugee crisis as well as now during the energy crisis, we were right. Our party, SMER-SD, always has and always will stand upon the values of a social Slovakia and its needs and interests.
Which parties present on the Slovak political scene are closest to you and which ones do you refuse to negotiate with instead?
Our doors are open to any party that has clear priorities similar to SMER, meaning Slovakia and its people. The HLAS-SD party is our most natural partner. Its representatives should decide whether they prefer building a social state in Slovakia to benefit all the people or rebuilding Slovakia in the image of a liberal coffee house where the needs of the working man are secondary.
In regards to the currently ongoing war in Ukraine, you are of the opinion that there should be no arms shipments to Ukraine, that a ceasefire should be issued and negotiations initiated between the USA, Russia, and the EU. Could that not end up leading to the end of sovereign Ukraine and subsequently to Russia's occupation of other countries?
We in the SMER-SD party immediately condemned the attack on Ukraine as a breach of international law. But let's ask ourselves a question: did major arms supplies by any global power help solve a conflict anywhere in the world? Military conflicts usually have much deeper causes, such as national, ethnic, religious, or social issues. When negotiations are not initiated and these issues aren't overcome, additional weapons only help propagate a more ominous and extensive spiral of slaughter and death. In December 2022, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, said what we all know to be true: "Every war ends at the negotiating table." We have all been keenly aware for nearly a year that the war in Ukraine doesn't have a military solution. Even army generals have been open about that. I am not the one saying that Russia nor Ukraine are likely to reach their goals by military force, those are the words of the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, spoken this February. The solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine today is not more arms supplies, it is peace negotiations. If even soldiers are talking like this, we really need to push for a peaceful solution; that is our belief. And the European Union should take an active part in facilitating this, as every day the conflict goes on means more suffering and slaughter of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike.
You have been very harsh in speaking out against the current government. Is there anything you could praise them for?
Every government in a democracy is ultimately judged by its voters. In a little under three years, Igor Matovič's government managed to wrest the title of the least popular government from the hands of any that came before in the last 30 years of Slovak history. Your readers may not know what the situation is like in your neighboring Slovakia, but today, Igor Matovič's second government is even less popular than the governments of Vladimír Mečiar or Mikuláš Dzurinda at any point in the past. The reason is the chaos, confusion, conflict, and decay that the politicians of the right-wing ruling coalition have displayed to the people in recent years. I would have to think really long and hard to find at least something positive in the sea of negatives that Slovakia has witnessed throughout these three years.
Let's say that you win the September election and manage to form a majority coalition. What will be the first changes you make?
I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves; it is always the voters that decide who and how will lead Slovakia. What we offer will be clear to every Slovak citizen. To stop chaos and confusion. To bring back a professional approach, harmony, and cooperation into the country's leadership with a focus on people's social needs, active and constructive tripartite dialog, clear rules for employees and entrepreneurs, but also a clear foreign policy where Slovakia's interests will come first. The once again implemented free school lunch program is a clear example of the chaotic nature of the right wing's rule. They first canceled free lunches because they were sponsored by SMER-SD, now they want them back because they understood just how good and purposeful a social measure it is.
The period leading up to the September election is bound to be hectic; Slovakia is in for a scorching summer, no matter the weather. There won't be much time to rest. How do you plan to "recharge your batteries"?
People always recharge my batteries. Personal meetings, handshakes, interviews; sometimes all it takes is a few kind and encouraging words in any town or village around Slovakia. Because politicians should be here for the people, listen to their needs, and be in contact with them every day. The SMER-SD party is known for filling every election period with meetings between us and the people throughout the regions, and we are planning to have even more this time around (such as the series of meetings and events kicked off on March 6 on the occasion of International Women's Day). Together with our excellent SMER party team, I look forward to every single meeting with every single person all across Slovakia.
CV
Robert Fico (born September 15, 1964, in Topoľčany) is a member of the National Council, chairman of the SMER – Social Democracy party, and former prime minister.
He graduated from the Comenius University Bratislava Faculty of Law, also taking courses abroad in the USA, Great Britain, Finland, Belgium, and France focused on human rights and criminal law. He has also studied at the Academy of European Law in Trier, Germany.
Fico worked at the Institute of Law of the Slovak Ministry of Justice and as legal counsel representing Slovakia in proceedings at the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights. He worked as a university lecturer as well.
He was first elected MP in 1992 (for the SDĽ). In December 1999, he established a new political party, called SMER. In 2004, he unified the SDĽ, the Social Democracy Alternative, and the Social Democratic Party of Slovakia, and on January 1, 2005, the SMER – Social Democracy party was born.
Fico was an MP between 1992 and 2006 and has become one again in 2018. He was a prime minister twice in 2006–2010 and 2012–2018.
He is married and has a son, Michael (29).
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