Robert Fico

Robert Fico
Fico in 2024
Prime Minister of Slovakia
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 October 2023
President	Zuzana Čaputová Peter Pellegrini (elect)
Deputy	See list Robert Kaliňák Peter Kmec Denisa Saková Tomáš Taraba
Preceded by	Ľudovít Ódor
In office 4 April 2012 – 22 March 2018
President	Ivan Gašparovič Andrej Kiska
Deputy	See list Robert Kaliňák Peter Kažimír Miroslav Lajčák Ľubomír Vážny Peter Pellegrini Lucia Žitňanská Gabriela Matečná
Preceded by	Iveta Radičová
Succeeded by	Peter Pellegrini
In office 4 July 2006 – 8 July 2010
President	Ivan Gašparovič
Deputy	See list Dušan Čaplovič Robert Kaliňák Ján Mikolaj Štefan Harabin Viera Petríková
Preceded by	Mikuláš Dzurinda
Succeeded by	Iveta Radičová
Minister of Justice
Acting 26 March 2009 – 3 July 2009
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Štefan Harabin
Succeeded by	Viera Petríková
Deputy Speaker of the National Council
In office 9 July 2010 – 4 April 2012 Serving with Béla Bugár, Milan Hort and Pavol Hrušovský
Speaker	Richard Sulík Pavol Hrušovský
Member of the National Council
In office 22 March 2018 – 25 October 2023
In office 8 July 2010 – 4 April 2012
In office 23 June 1992 – 4 July 2006
Chairman of Direction – Social Democracy
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 November 1999
Preceded by	Office established
Personal details
Born	(1964-09-15) 15 September 1964 (age 59) Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Political party	Direction – Social Democracy (1999–present)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (1986–1990) Party of the Democratic Left (1990–1999)
Spouse	Svetlana Svobodová ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	1 son
Alma mater	Comenius University (JUDr.) Slovak Academy of Sciences (CSc.)
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Robert Fico (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈrɔbert ˈfitsɔ]; born 15 September 1964) is a Slovak politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Slovakia since 2023, having served previously from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. He founded the Direction – Social Democracy (Smer) party in 1999 and has led the party since its foundation. Fico holds a record as the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, having served for a total of over 10 years. First elected to Parliament in 1992 (whilst within Czechoslovakia), he was later appointed to the Council of Europe. Following his party's victory in the 2006 parliamentary election, he formed the first Fico Cabinet. Fico's political positions have been described as populist.

After the 2010 parliamentary election, Fico served as an opposition member of parliament, effectively holding the position of the leader of the opposition. Following a motion of no confidence against the Iveta Radičová cabinet, Fico was re-appointed as prime minister after leading Smer to a landslide election victory in the 2012 parliamentary election, winning 83 seats and forming a government with an absolute majority in Parliament, the first such since 1989.^[1] In 2013, Fico officially declared his candidacy for the 2014 presidential election. Fico lost the election to his political rival Andrej Kiska in the second round of voting on 29 March 2014.^[2]

On 15 March 2018, due to the political crisis following the murder of Ján Kuciak, Fico delivered his resignation to President Andrej Kiska, who then formally charged Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini with the formation of a new government.^[3][4]

During the 2023 parliamentary election, Fico ran on a campaign to cease military support to Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War.^[5][6] His party Direction – Social Democracy (Smer), won the most votes in the election, with 22.95% of the vote and winning 42 seats.^[7] Fico formed a coalition with Voice – Social Democracy (Hlas) and the Slovak National Party, and began his fourth term as prime minister on 25 October. The Fico government has flatly refused to join a Czech-led coalition of about 20 states in procuring military aid for Ukraine.^[8]