Slovak Economist Beblavý: Fico's Party Banks on Voters No Longer Caring About Corruption

Slovak economist and former politician Miroslav Beblavý argues that Smer-SD, the ruling populist party led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, is betting that its core voters have become indifferent to the privileged behavior of the political elite. Beblavý, 49, is an economist, investor, and author of the book 'The New Nobility: Political Elitism from Mečiar to Matovič,' which examines how Slovakia's political class has long enjoyed special privileges and perks at public expense — a phenomenon Slovaks call 'papaláštvo,' roughly meaning high-handed or elitist conduct by those in power. In an interview with Denník N, Beblavý — who previously served in the center-right parties SDKÚ, Sieť, and Spolu before withdrawing from politics after 2020 — discusses whether the culture of political privilege in Slovakia is changing, and draws distinctions between recent controversies involving the family members of prominent politicians, including the mother of Michal Šimečka, leader of the liberal opposition party Progresívne Slovensko, and the son of Prime Minister Fico. Beblavý spent years working on conflict-of-interest issues in Slovak public life and his analysis reflects longstanding concerns about accountability and ethical standards among Slovakia's political leadership.