Regular rallies against Fico's government held in Slovakia

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Associated Press.

Thousands of rallies were held on Thursday in 31 cities across the country. According to the organizers, protests also took place in other countries where Slovaks live, including the Czech Republic, Poland, France, Norway, Ireland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova sharply criticized the changes proposed by Fico's government and said she was ready to challenge the bill in the Constitutional Court.

As reported, the plan approved by Fico's coalition government provides for the elimination of the special prosecutor's office that deals with such serious crimes as bribery, organized crime and extremism. These cases are to be transferred to regional prosecutors who have not dealt with such crimes for 20 years. The planned changes also provide for the mitigation of penalties for corruption and some other crimes, including the possibility of suspended sentences, as well as a significant reduction in the statute of limitations.

On January 25, the ruling coalition voted to use an accelerated parliamentary procedure to pass the amendments. This means that the draft law will not be reviewed by experts and others who are usually involved in normal legislative procedures. The coalition also voted to limit the discussion to the first of three parliamentary readings. The opposition condemned the move.

Later that day, mass protests against the proposed changes took place at home and abroad.

Photo: TASR