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Slovakia Holds Referendum on Politician Pensions and Law Enforcement Agencies
🇭🇺 Hungary /Elections & Politics

Slovakia Holds Referendum on Politician Pensions and Law Enforcement Agencies

From Magyar Nemzet · () Hungarian

Translated from Hungarian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Slovaks are voting in a referendum on whether to abolish lifelong pensions for the prime minister and other state leaders, a privilege extended after an assassination attempt on Robert Fico.
  • The referendum also asks voters if they support reopening the special prosecutor's office and the National Criminal Agency (NAKA), both previously abolished by the Fico government.
  • Recent polls show the Progressive Slovakia party leading Fico's Smer-SD party, indicating a fragmented political landscape in Slovakia.

Slovakia is holding a referendum today that could significantly alter the benefits afforded to its top political figures and reshape its law enforcement landscape. One of the key questions asks citizens whether to abolish lifelong pensions for the prime minister and other state leaders. This privilege, initially exclusive to former presidents until 2024, was expanded two years ago following an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico to include former prime ministers and parliamentary speakers who have served at least two terms.

Alongside the pension question, voters will decide on the fate of two previously dismantled law enforcement bodies. The referendum includes a vote on reopening the special prosecutor's office, which was responsible for handling serious crimes and corruption before its abolition under the current Fico administration. Additionally, citizens will vote on the reinstatement of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA), which was also dissolved and subsequently transformed into an anti-terrorism center.

We do not consider the lifelong pension for prime ministers to be correct, and it is not a common practice in most European countries, while ordinary people are hit by economic austerity.

— Unnamed Slovak interviewed by NapunkA Slovak interviewed by the local Hungarian-language newspaper Napunk expressed skepticism about the lifelong pensions for former prime ministers, deeming it an uncommon practice in Europe and contrasting it with the economic hardships faced by the general population.

Public opinion on these matters appears divided. Some Slovaks, like those interviewed by the Hungarian-language newspaper Napunk, view the lifelong pensions for politicians as an unjustified perk, especially when ordinary citizens face economic austerity. They also see the closure of the special prosecutor's office and NAKA as a weakening of the country's crime-fighting capabilities.

The nation's political scene remains fragmented, with recent polls suggesting a shift in public support. According to a Focus agency survey, the liberal opposition party Progressive Slovakia would receive the most votes at 18.1 percent if elections were held in June. Fico's Smer-SD party follows closely in second place with 17.7 percent. Several other parties, including the Democrats, Slovak National Party, Alliance of Hungarians in Slovakia, and We Are Family, would fail to secure enough votes to enter parliament.

The abolition of the special prosecutor's office and NAKA is seen as a weakening of law enforcement.

— Unnamed Slovak interviewed by NapunkThe same Slovak interviewed by Napunk also voiced concerns that the dismantling of key investigative bodies like the special prosecutor's office and NAKA weakens the country's ability to combat crime.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Magyar Nemzet in Hungarian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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