Crisis Chronology

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SLOVAKIA

10/11/2023

Fico becomes prime minister

Smer-SD, Hlas-SD, and SNS ratified their coalition agreement for a government led by Fico.

10/08/2023

Acting Prime Minister Ľudovít Ódor says his government told Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic, thathis government should no longer decide on military aid given that the parliamentary elections favored SMER, which says it will halt aid to Ukraine. Čaputová said that the president cannot approve military aid.

09/30/2023

Pro-Russia populist party SMER-SSD, led by Robert Fico, wins a plurality in parliamentary voting with 24%, but will need a coalition in order to rule. The liberal Progressive Slovakia party polled at about 17%. The pro-European Hlas party, which could decide who forms the next government, came third with 15%. Hlas split from SMER in 2020. Fico has pledged to end support for Ukraine.

04/28/2023

An agreement in principle is reached to restore Ukraine grain trade to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

04/17/2023

Slovakia bans imports of Ukrainian food products and grain.

03/24/2023

Slovakia delivers Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

05/29/2022

EU discussions about Russian oil embargo stall over countries that depend heavily on Russian energy, especially Hungary but also Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Inflation and projections of sluggish growth complicate the economic future.

04/01/2021

Čaputová appoints Foreign Minister Eduard Heger prime minister.

03/24/2021

President Zuzana Caputova demands that Matovic resign over his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six cabinet ministers have resigned.

03/21/2021

Matovic offers to resign, under some conditions, if the partners in his coalition agree to certain conditions, including a cabinet seat for himself and the removal of coalition members in the cabinet. His coalition has criticized him for him buying the Russian COVID-19 vaccine before the EU has approved it. Slovakia has one of the world’s highest rates of death and infection.

09/03/2020

Businessman Marian Kocner acquitted of 2018 murder of journalist Jan Kuciak.

08/31/2020

Russia expels three Slovak diplomats to reciprocate for Slovkia expelling three Russian diplomats on 8/11 for alleged espionage.

08/11/2020

Goverrment expels three Russians for espionage.

03/21/2020

Matovič becomes prime minister

Igor Matovič sworn in as prime minister with his cabinet.

02/29/2020

Parliamentary elections. The Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OL’aNO) coalition led by Igor Matovič becomes the largest party in parliament with 25% of the vote, winning 53 of the 190 seats. Smer-SD wins 18% and 38 seats, and Our Slovakia LSNS wins 8% for 17 seats. Turnout was high. OL’aNO is a center-right party, and Matović is a self-made millionaire and media owner whose positions are difficult to predict. Its victory may be more an anti-Smer-SD vote than an affirmation of Matović.

02/17/2020

Tense election on 2/29/20 between pro-European parties and nationalists. A new coalition of liberal parties, Progressive Slovakia/Together (PS/Spolu) are contesting the ruling SMER-SD populist party. The far-right Kotleba-People’s Party Our Slovakia (LSNS) is calling for control of migrants and is showing strength in polls, though SMER-SD remains slightly ahead.

12/19/2019

Trial of businessman Marian Kocner, the accused killer of journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, killed in 2/18, begins.

12/19/2019

Trial of the accused killer of journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, killed in 2/18, begins.

03/31/2019

Zuzana Caputova elected president in a run-off with Sefcovic, becoming the Slovakia’s first female president.

03/17/2019

Zuzana Caputova, an anti-corruption candidate new to politics, wins 40% of the vote in the presidential election, far ahead of Maros Sefcovic of the ruling Smer-Social Democracy party, who won 19%. Caputova was endorsed by outgoing president Andrej Kiska. Caputova, who had worked for non-governmental agencies, joined the newly formed Progressive Slovakia (PS) party in 12/17. She will face Sefcovic in a run-off.

03/14/2019

Prosecutors arrest a suspect in the murder of Jan Kuciak.

07/02/2018

In a major concession to the CSU, Merkel agrees to create camps for migrants on the German border and to tighten the border with Austria. In Austria, Kurz says that the deal may force Austria to tighten border security with Slovenia and Italy.