Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini said the situation in the country is “serious” following a security council meeting called after populist Prime Robert Fico claimed a plot to overthrow his government is taking place in which NGOs, opposition, demonstrations and funding from abroad are involved.

Fico’s claims fuelled worries that his left-right government might dare to quell anti-government protests ongoing since 2023. Amnesty International and other NGOs also voiced concern over possible surveillance of the country’s NGOs and civic platforms.

“I have been in politics for a long time, and I am not used to panicking, simplifying or exaggerating things, but based on the information which the Slovak Information Service (SIS) provided, it was unavoidable for the security council to meet,” Pellegrini told media on January 23.  

Pellegrini added that foreign nationals are active in Slovakia and other countries who take part in organising protests. “No country can tolerate findings of someone trying to change power constellations in the country in another way but [through] democratic elections,” he told media.

Pellegrini also described the situation as “the greatest threat which Slovakia faced in its history,” but added he does not see a reason for a state of emergency to be declared, which could curtail the country-wide protests scheduled for Friday, January 24.  

Fico cited an intelligence report in the wake of no confidence motion against himself, but no public information of what caused the alarming rhetoric was given to the public.

Fico also made several references to anti-government protests in Ukraine and Georgia, and he also pointed a finger at the civic platform Mier Ukrajine [Peace to Ukraine], which has organised rallies in support of Ukraine and public donations for Ukrainians sheltered in Slovakia and the Ukrainian army.

The idea of foreign government interference in domestic politics is a troupe introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who restricted NGO activity in Russia with his “foreign agents” law that penalises any local organisation that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad. It was introduced in July 2012 and since has been revised many time to become the main tool of repressing civil society and political opponents.

Since then, similar laws have been adopted by some other authoritarian-leaning countries. Kyrgyzstan also adopted a foreign agents law last year. The ruling Georgian Dream sparked mass protests last May when it rammed through its own version of the law, a precursor to the protest currently underway to protest against Georgian Dream’s victory in recent parliamentary elections in November.

Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and de facto ruler of the country, expanded on the theme of foreign interference in his “Party of War” speech last year, where he echoed Putin’s complaints of international interference in local politics and put the blame for most of Georgia recent woes at the feet of Western interference.

Now Slovakia, an EU member country, appears to be drifting in the same direction. Fico is also widely seen as a Russia sympathiser along with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Fico also exploited the long-signalled end of Russian gas transit through Ukraine to step up his pro-Kremlin rhetoric in recent weeks.

Political scientist Miroslav Řádek described the intelligence report as Fico’s “defence tactics” to diffuse the opposition momentum amid the faltering popularity of his government.

The country’s leading daily SME wrote that the SIS report, Robert Fico referred to is based on an NGO email about one of the ongoing demonstrations against Fico’s cabinet, which has introduced sweeping changes to the country’s judiciary, police and media.

In her SME editorial comment, Beata Balogova wrote that in stepping up his rhetoric Fico is trying to “convince citizens that they are threatened,” adding that internal rows inside the coalition can realistically bring about its end, unlike the protests in the streets.  

The report was dismissed by the opposition, which has long criticised intelligence service SIS as coming under the influence of Fico's Smer party. Smer trails the largest opposition party, liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS), by 4.5%, the January poll by NMS shows.

“When Fico is losing the support of the public and his glued together [coalition] is falling apart, he begins to panic and fantasise about state coups,” PS chairman Michal Šimečka stated and slammed the government for failing to explain is behind the report.

“They did not announce any details, any measures because they don’t really have anything. They are merely trying to divert attention away from their failures, he added before stating, “Let’s show decently that we are not going to let our civic rights be taken away and that we won’t let Fico take us out of Europe” before invoking the communist-era protest line “we are with you, stay with us.”