Smer Officials Accused of Handing State Positions to Family Members and Partners

Slovakia's ruling Smer party is facing fresh accusations of nepotism, with relatives and romantic partners of party members allegedly receiving appointments to significant public positions. The claims form part of a broader pattern of patronage politics that critics say has deepened under Prime Minister Robert Fico's government. Among the specific allegations, sons and girlfriends of Smer figures are said to have been placed in state roles, while both Fico and Richard Raši — a senior Smer politician — are accused of making false public statements. In a separate but related item, Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko, whose party is part of the ruling coalition, has reportedly been using artificial intelligence to set his poetry to music. Smer-SD is Slovakia's dominant ruling party, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, and holds a broadly left-nationalist, sovereigntist ideological orientation. It heads a coalition government that took power following the 2023 parliamentary elections. Accusations of cronyism and the placement of party loyalists in state institutions have been a recurring criticism of Smer administrations, raising concerns among opposition parties and civil society groups about the integrity of public institutions and the rule of law in Slovakia.