Slovak PM's luxury Vietnam stay amidst growing discontent
Since the December visit to Moscow, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has not appeared publicly, sparking speculation that he might be in Vietnam. As reported on Saturday by the newspaper "Sme," Slovak President Peter Pellegrini knows where Fico is but will not disclose his whereabouts.
The information provided by the newspaper "Sme" regarding the head of the government was confirmed by Pellegrini's press services. "The president has been informed about the length of the vacation and the location of the prime minister," they responded to the newspaper's questions. As added, "it is not the role of the head of state to comment on the location. This is an independent decision of the prime minister."
Since the visit to Moscow on December 22, 2024, Fico has not appeared publicly, although he did publish two videos online commenting on Ukraine's halt of Russian gas transit.
On Friday, the newspaper "Denník N" wrote that one of their readers recognized that one of these videos was made in a luxurious suite of the five-star hotel Capella Hanoi in Vietnam. One night in this place costs about CAD 8,800.
Protests in Bratislava
The publication received a lively response from social media users. Additionally, the leader of the strongest opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS), Michal Šimečka, wrote that his party would ensure that everyone suffering from high prices and disappointed Fico voters learn how much the prime minister's stay in the hotel in Hanoi cost, and former foreign minister and former presidential candidate of Slovakia, Ivan Korčok, conveyed that the situation is unprecedented and that the prime minister is not a private citizen, even on vacation.
On Friday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, thousands of Slovaks took to the streets of Bratislava to express their dissatisfaction with the prime minister's policies. The protesters chanted slogans such as: "We are not a Russian puppet!" and carried Slovak and European Union flags.
Source: PAP
