Why Fico wants to ban one of Slovakia’s opposition parties and what consequences it may bear

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has found a new enemy – an internal one this time. The party Demokrati (Democrats) has been declared the enemy, accused of organising last year’s assassination attempt on Fico. As a result, the current government plans to seek the party’s deregistration.

Among the accusations against the party, which has been the most active political force in recent anti-government protests, is also a "Ukrainian connection."

Read more to understand the potential consequences of this scandal in the article by Yurii Panchenko, European Pravda's editor – Fico’s revenge against Ukraine’s friends: how Slovak authorities are preparing to ban an opposition party.

The chance of banning the Demokrati party was first mentioned by Tibor Gašpar, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and one of Fico’s closest allies. Gašpar is often seen as a potential successor to the current prime minister.

"Democrats were involved in the assassination attempt on Robert Fico. I am personally convinced of this, and I believe there will be evidence," Gašpar said on Markíza TV.

His words carry extra weight because his son, Pavol Gašpar, currently heads Slovakia’s SIS intelligence service.

The Demokrati party has taken these statements very seriously.

Its leader, Jaroslav Naď, claims that the authorities are already preparing to ban the party. According to him, Slovakia’s Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka is working on the submission to parliament.

The Demokrati party is a relatively new political force, founded in 2023 by then-Prime Minister Eduard Heger and several ministers from his cabinet. It was Heger’s government that approved Slovakia’s military assistance to Ukraine.

After failing in the 2023 parliamentary elections, Heger stepped down as party leader, handing over leadership to Jaroslav Naď, who had been the Defence Minister in his government.

Since Robert Fico returned to power, Naď has faced multiple accusations, including allegations of misconduct during his time as defence minister. Authorities have also launched an investigation into Slovakia’s decision to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

At the same time, the Demokrati party has become one of the most vocal opponents of Fico’s government. They are not only participating in anti-government protests but also collecting signatures to hold a referendum on dissolving the current parliament.

Why are they being blamed for the assassination attempt?

The only known link between the attacker, Juraj Cintula, and the Demokrati party is that he participated in a few of their events as a non-partisan activist.

"There is no evidence of the party’s involvement in the attack on Fico. Without such proof, the accusations seem far-fetched. These kinds of allegations may simply serve as a distraction from the government’s internal problems. If these threats materialise, however, and the party is officially banned, it would mark a significant crackdown on the opposition," Alexander Duleba, an analyst at the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA), says.

The Slovak government is currently fragile. The ruling coalition has only 77 seats in parliament, just one above the minimum required majority of 76. Given the risk of snap election, attacking a pro-Ukrainian opposition party could be a way for Fico to mobilise his voter base.

At the same time, this move would allow the government to discredit ongoing anti-government protests and the civil organisations behind them. The authorities could claim that all groups cooperating with the Demokrati party share responsibility for both the assassination attempt and the political polarisation of Slovak society.

Such rhetoric aligns with Fico’s frequent claims that anti-government protests are foreign-backed, possibly even by Ukraine, and part of a larger plot to seize power by force.

Banning an opposition party could provoke a strong reaction from Brussels. Even if the government only threatens to ban the Demokrati party but does not act, it could still boost the party’s popularity rather than weaken it.

In other words, Fico’s strategy is risky. If he goes too far, it could backfire, both domestically and internationally.