Slovakia is searching for its Prime Minister Robert Fico, and his whereabouts have not been clear for 14 days. This is reported by the online edition of the newspaper The Slovak Spectator.
According to the December 22 edition, when Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, his office did not provide details about his whereabouts. The prime minister has communicated only through videos posted on social media, not through official channels, and none of his videos indicate where he is.
But according to a study by Denník N daily, Fico is in Vietnam, the conclusion being made after a reader alerted the publication to the possibility that the prime minister was staying in a luxury hotel, and the conclusion was made after Fico posted a video on his X profile from his hotel room, which also shows part of the interior.
Fico's latest video was posted on January 2 and was filmed in a luxury hotel in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi - at least judging by the interior seen in the video, The Slovak Spectator points out. And in the clip, the prime minister criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It was later revealed that Robert Fico was staying in the luxurious Grand Opera Madam Butterfly suite at the Capella Hanoi hotel, with a night there costing around 6,203 euros per night. Despite inquiries by Slovak media to the hotel and the Slovak government, it remains a mystery what Fico is doing in Vietnam.
Although the Slovak prime minister is often cautious when it comes to the details of his personal travels, this latest mystery has led to criticism, especially from his political opponents, who question the transparency of the prime minister's actions. A similar controversy has arisen over Robert Fico's recent, also unconfirmed, trips to Croatia and Turkey, where details from his videos and paparazzi photos were used to pinpoint his location.
The leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, Michal Šimečka, criticized Fico for enjoying such luxury while Slovaks have been facing rising VAT and increased living costs since January. Šimečka called on the prime minister to explain how he can afford such luxury.