Slovakia is no longer simply tolerating conspiracy theories – it is institutionalising them. Under Robert Fico, disinformation figures now hold official posts, with democratic norms increasingly under pressure.

In recent years, Slovakia has witnessed a striking transformation in its political landscape, marked by the deepening alliance between radical populism, conspiracy theories and political power. At the centre of this transformation is Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has increasingly relied on the support of open conspiracy theorists and extremists to consolidate and maintain power.

Among the most prominent examples are Peter Kotlár – the government’s envoy for the investigation of the COVID-19 pandemic management and a prominent disinformation figure – and Daniel Bombic, a popular far-right extremist currently in pre-trial custody.

Eva Mihočková

Marcin Król Fellow

Marcin Król Fellow 2024 at Visegrad Insight. She is an Editor in Chief of Foreign Policy SFPA, a media website operated by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association. She is also a member of Team Europe Direct and works as an investigative journalist for Stop the Corruption Foundation. Last year she was awarded the Journalism Award 2022 by the Open Society Foundation in Slovakia. Eva started her journalistic career in 1998 at Slovak Television. Since then, she has worked for major news outlets such as TA3 television, RTVS public broadcaster, Euractiv.sk, Plus7dní weekly, and Trend weekly, where she served as a reporter, moderator, and a member of the editorial office management team.

Newsletter

Weekly updates with our latest articles and the editorial commentary.