Slovak Protester Mobilizes Small Town Against Fico Government
Milo Janáč, 49, was traveling back to his hometown of Gelnica (population 6,202) by train after a protest in Bratislava when an interview in a newspaper caught his attention. In it, teacher Eva Wolfová remarked that protests in major cities like Bratislava and Košice weren’t surprising, but if even a small town like Gelnica saw demonstrations, it would be a serious signal for the government.
Gelnica, a struggling former mining town in the Slovak Ore Mountains, has one of the lowest average gross monthly wages in Slovakia—just €1,241 as of August 2024. In the most recent parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer party secured 30 percent of the town’s votes.
Janáč, who is a writer, bartender, and spokesperson for the local mayor’s office, saw Wolfová’s comment as a call to action. “Even on the train, I started messaging people to see who could help,” he told POLITICO.
He acknowledged Fico’s strong local support but believes that if protests spread to smaller towns like Gelnica, the political landscape could shift. “Fico won’t just step down because of protests here,” Janáč said, “but if more towns join in, it will change the reality.”
A Controversial Leader
Fico, a former Communist Party member before 1989, returned to power in October 2023 for a fourth term as prime minister. Alongside Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, he has aligned himself with pro-Russian sentiments within the European Union. Defying an unofficial EU ban, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before Christmas 2023.
More recently, Fico has made unverified claims that the protests in Slovakia are being instigated by Georgian fighters and Ukrainian intelligence forces in an attempt to overthrow his government.
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