Twenty Years Since Fico First Came to Power: Dzurinda Reflects on What Could Have Been

Twenty years ago, Robert Fico came to power in Slovakia for the first time — the beginning of a political career that has seen him serve as prime minister for more than twelve and a half years in total, making him the dominant figure in Slovak politics for two decades. Former Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda, who led Slovakia before Fico's first election victory in 2006, reflected on the anniversary, suggesting that the outcome at the time was not inevitable and that events could have unfolded differently. Fico leads Smer-SD, a left-nationalist ruling party he founded, which has governed Slovakia for much of the past two decades. Dzurinda, by contrast, led the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), a center-right party that steered Slovakia into both the European Union and NATO in 2004. The anniversary comes as Fico continues to serve as prime minister, having returned to power in 2023 at the head of a coalition government that has drawn criticism from Western partners over its foreign policy orientation, particularly its stance toward Russia and Ukraine.