Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Fico has not been seen in public for two weeks after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The media has managed to find out that he is vacationing in a luxury apartment in Vietnam.
Points of attention
- Prime Minister Roberto Fico's disappearance following a meeting with Putin has sparked public outrage and political backlash.
- The luxurious vacation choice in a Vietnam hotel has raised concerns about the image of the head of state and his relationship with citizens.
- The secrecy surrounding Fico's whereabouts and the lack of transparency have led to speculations and criticisms from the opposition.
- The opposition and former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok have criticized Fico's vacation and called it a gross disregard for state institutions and rules.
- The meeting between Fico and Putin in Moscow has further fueled the controversy, with opposition parties and prosecutors questioning its compliance with the law.
Fico "lit up" in a luxurious room of a Vietnamese hotel
Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Fico did not appear in public for two weeks after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, but instead rested in Vietnam.
The Government Office did not provide any information to journalists' inquiries about his health and whereabouts. At the same time, rumors circulated among Slovak politicians about Fico's possible vacation in Dubai.
However, the media managed to find out that he was vacationing at the five-star Capella Hanoi hotel in Vietnam.
As the publication noted, during his absence he communicated with the public via video with closed curtains.
Interior details that were visible in his video messages became a clue for journalists, who found out that the prime minister was renting a 194 m² apartment on the top floor of the hotel for 6,200 euros per night.
The press service of Slovak President Petr Pellegrini confirmed that Prime Minister Roberto Fico is on vacation.
The President was informed about the duration of the vacation and the location of the Prime Minister.
Opposition's reaction to Fico's "hide and seek"
Pro-Ukraine former Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok reacted by criticizing Fico's vacation and his refusal to disclose his whereabouts, stating that "the prime minister is not a private person, even on vacation — that's what the law says."
The Cabinet Secretariat has been unable to provide information about the Prime Minister's whereabouts for several days. They do not know where he is. In this context, the Prime Minister's stay in a luxury hotel in Vietnam is far from a slap in the face to citizens with deep pockets.
In his opinion, "such behavior by a constitutional official is a gross disregard for state institutions and all rules."
This is a situation that is unprecedented in the democratic world. The Prime Minister is not a private person, even on vacation — so says the law. Such behavior of a constitutional official is a gross violation of state institutions and all rules. At this moment, other senior officials — the president and the responsible speaker of parliament — should be concerned about the whereabouts of the Prime Minister. Otherwise, they become inactive witnesses to the paralysis of the entire country.
Fico's meeting with Putin
On December 22, Fico met with Putin. He stated that he traveled to Moscow in response to the suspension of Russian gas transit to Slovakia through Ukrainian territory.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the meeting between Fico and Putin in Moscow and stated that Bratislava pays for Russia's "discounts" with sovereignty or shadow schemes.
Slovakia's opposition Freedom and Solidarity party has criticized Prime Minister Robert Fico for his meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. A protest was held in Bratislava.
It later became known that the Prosecutor General's Office of Slovakia would check Fico's visit to Putin in Moscow for compliance with the law.
