Skip to main content
Menu Menu Close
Africa
Americas
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Western Asia
Flag

Slovakia

Monthly Event Reports

December 2023 | Government tables amendments to deny police whistleblower protections
Watch flag

The government approved amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act which would remove whistleblower protections extended to police and enable the Attorney General to nullify court decisions granting whistleblower status. In addition, the proposed legislative changes would allow the whistleblower’s employer to appeal against the status. As a next step, the amendments will be put to a vote in Parliament. The new government, led by Robert Fico of the Smer-SD party, has suspended six police investigators at the National Crime Agency (NAKA), responsible for probing organized crime under previous Smer-SD governments. These investigators were given whistleblower status in October 2023 by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for a period of three years. The Interior Minister, Matúš Šutaj Eštok has claimed that the whistleblower status was granted illegally. In November, Eštok survived a no-confidence vote initiated by members of the opposition.

September 2023 | Pro-Russian Robert Fico wins snap elections
Election flag

The populist left-wing Smer party led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico won early parliamentary elections, held on 30 September. Smer won 22.94 per cent of the vote and 42 of the 150 seats in the country’s unicameral Parliament. A total of seven parties will be represented in Parliament. Progressive Slovakia (PS) came in second place with 17.96 per cent of the vote and 32 seats, winning 61.7 per cent of the record-high overseas vote. The centre-left Hlas party, an offshoot from the Smer party, placed third with 27 seats, followed by the OL’aNO party with 16 seats. The Christian Democrat party and nationalist SNS party also returned to Parliament. Voter turnout was 68.42 per cent. The elected MPs comprise 33 women (22 per cent) and 117 men (78 per cent).

August 2023 | Police apprehend intelligence heads accused of obstructing corruption investigations

Police arrested multiple high-ranking officials in the intelligence services on charges of organised crime, abuse of power and obstruction of justice. The directors of the Slovak Information Service and the National Security Authority are among seven people facing charges for alleged interference with the investigation of high-level corruption cases involving government officials. The officials arrested included Tibor Gašpar, who is a candidate in Robert Fico's Smer party in the upcoming elections and served as chief of police under Fico’s regime from 2012-2018. Fico has claimed the arrests represent a police coup, calling the moves political calculations to weaken his party, currently leading in the polls, in the approach to the elections scheduled for 30 September. President Zuzana Čaputová convened the Security Council for an emergency meeting, where she underscored that no coup had been executed by the police, and that Slovak security agencies continued to be operational.

July 2023 | President forces out Interior Minister after dispute with police leadership

President Zuzana Čaputová revoked the mandate of Interior minister Ivan Šimko, following disagreements with police force heads. Earlier in the month, Šimko had criticized the police in a string of social media posts, noting “obvious failings” in their investigation of the murder of a woman by her stalker on 29 June, after failing to act on several criminal complaints of harassment filed by the victim before her death. One controversial post published by Šimko on social media, stating “the hands of people with pistols and handcuffs must not be untied," came under fire for implying that Šimko is in favour of political control over law enforcement. Police Chief Štefan Havran, National Crime Agency (NAKA) head Ľubomír Daňko, and several high-ranking police officers subsequently threatened to resign. Šimko had separately clashed with police heads when he resisted the appointment of Pavol Ďurka, who is currently facing criminal charges, to a management position in the police inspectorate.

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

Chevron

Basic Information

Chevron
Population Tooltip
5 447 250
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Robert Fico (since 2023)
Head of government party
Direction - Social Democracy (Smer)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
22.7%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
7.8
Head of state
President Zuzana Čaputová
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
28/01/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
90.26%
Population Tooltip
5 447 250
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Robert Fico (since 2023)
Head of government party
Direction - Social Democracy (Smer)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
22.7%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
7.8
Head of state
President Zuzana Čaputová
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
28/01/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
90.26%
Tooltip text

Human Rights Treaties

Chevron
State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Signatory
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
in
Tooltip text

Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

0 10