In Bratislava, tens of thousands of Slovaks protested against Prime Minister Fico.

Participants of the rally chanted "Enough Fico" and "We are Europe." Protests also took place in 20 cities across Slovakia. Organizers of the rally in Bratislava announced that around 60,000 residents of the capital took to the streets. This is approximately four times more than those who participated in the protest two weeks ago.

In recent weeks, tensions between the authorities and the opposition have escalated. The left-wing nationalist government of Fico accused the protesters of attempting to "create chaos" in the country.

Opposition political parties and civic groups organizing the protests dismissed these accusations. Leaders of the protesters stated that the authorities are trying to distract citizens from political issues that the government coalition is unable to handle.

Fico became prime minister for the fourth time in 2023. His critics claim that the government is undermining democratic values and distancing foreign policy from the European Union and NATO allies, moving closer to Russia.

The latest wave of protests swept across the country following Fico's visit to Moscow in December of last year. During that visit, the Slovak leader was received by President Vladimir Putin.