Discussion
The fourth Fico government that came to power in autumn 2023 is generally regarded to be a far greater threat to democracy in Slovakia than his previous governments, and comparisons have been made to the third Mečiar government which endangered Slovakia’s accession to the EU and NATO in the mid-1990s. Examining the two governments throws light on both the nature of democratic consolidation and democratic backsliding in post-communist Europe, and the specific features of domestic politics in Slovakia. The paper compares the two periods almost twenty years apart, looking first at the actions of the governments concerned and the threats they pose, and also the shifting international evaluations of the quality of democracy in Slovakia. It then analyses the nature of political cleavages in what has been described as one most polarised political societies in the world, and the demographics of parties’ electoral bases. It finally questions the influence of changed external circumstances on the strength of democratic consolidation, with particular reference to the significance of EU and NATO membership.
In conclusion, the continuity of political conflict lines in Slovakia is marked, with the persistent strength and resilience of opposition to authoritarian tendencies a major factor indicating democratic consolidation.
