A national referendum in Slovakia, organized by the opposition to strip Prime Minister Robert Fico of his lifetime financial benefits and restore specialized anti-corruption structures, failed due to extremely low voter turnout. The vote, held on July 4, 2026, failed to reach the mandatory legal threshold of over 50% voter turnout, rendering the decisions invalid.
- Main reason for the failure: Voter turnout remained far below the legally required 50% of the 4.3 million eligible voters.
- Background of the vote: The referendum was called by the extra-parliamentary pro-Western party “Democrats“, which collected over 350,000 citizen signatures. President Peter Pellegrini officially scheduled the vote for early July.
- Fico's Lifetime Annuity: In July 2024, after the dramatic assassination attempt against Fico, the ruling coalition adopted the security package “Lex Assassination“. It guarantees a lifetime monthly salary equal to a parliamentary salary (over 4,000 euros), for former prime ministers and parliament speakers with at least two mandates. Currently, Robert Fico is the only politician who meets these conditions.
- The second controversial issue: The referendum also included a question on the restoration of the Special Prosecutor's Office and the National Crime Agency (NAKA). These structures, investigating corruption at the highest levels of power, were closed by Fico's government, which sparked mass protests in the country and criticism from the European Union.
- Historical context: Referendums in Slovakia have traditionally failed due to low turnout. Of the 10 referendums held in the history of the independent republic, only the 2003 EU membership vote managed to pass the 50% mark.
- The Prime Minister's Position: Robert Fico, who remains a highly polarizing figure due to his pro-Russian positions and judicial reforms, announced in advance that he would not vote and expressed skepticism about the validity of the vote.
With the referendum's failure, lifetime financial benefits for senior state officials remain in place, and reforms in the justice sector will not be revised.
Source: AP News, Caliber.az