Slovak PM Fico may sacrifice his good relations with PM Orbán to keep his governing coalition
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Previously, we reported on a leaked language-use bill drafted by Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture, under the leadership of the far-right nationalist SNS party. This proposed legislation has raised concerns among local Hungarians, as it could potentially limit their ability to use their mother tongue in everyday situations—such as at post offices or on public transport, including buses, trams, and trains. While Hungarian government officials have sought to reassure the public, Euronews speculates that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico may prioritise maintaining his governing coalition over his positive relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The end of Orbán and Fico’s friendship?
As Euronews reports, on Thursday, the two nations’ foreign ministers held a joint press conference, during which they stressed that the new Slovak bill is intended to strengthen the use of the Slovak language and is not designed to curtail the rights of minority languages.
Balázs Tárnok, a National University of Public Service researcher, warned that the bill could significantly reduce the rights of minorities to use their languages. Furthermore, the culture ministry drafting the bill is in the hands of the SNS party, which has consequently weak results in polls. Therefore, Tárnok suggests that the party may be attempting to attract attention and assert its influence through such controversial measures.
According to Euronews, Hungarians in Slovakia are hopeful that the SNS’s coalition partners will moderate the anti-minority elements of the bill.
PM Orbán and Fico have maintained a positive relationship, with rumours suggesting that Orbán even supported Fico’s anti-migration campaign by redirecting illegal migrants to the Slovak-Hungarian border. This move reportedly contributed to many ethnic Hungarians voting for Fico, despite his earlier anti-Hungarian policies in the 2010s. However, if Fico and his party decide to oppose the new SNS bill, they risk endangering their coalition’s stability.
Many believe that the Slovak political elite is using this issue to divert attention from the country’s economic challenges.
It’s guaranteed that despite even the most repressive language laws against Hungarians in Slovakia, Orban will maintain the most brotherly relations with Slovakia because Orban and Fico are both Russian allies and will avoid creating division in their pro-Russian camp while Orban at least works night and day to create division in the West. The contrast in Hungary’s relations with Ukraine with the language law issue is proof positive that Fidesz uses language as a phony issue with Ukraine to create anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Hungary and thus dampen Hungarian criticism of Russia’s invasion and drive Hungarians to oppose Ukraine’s accesion into the EU or NATO.