Robert Fico Age, Wife, Family, Biography
Robert Fico Age, Wife, Family, Biography
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Quick Infoâ
Age: 59 Years
Hometown: TopoÄžÄany, Slovakia
Wife: Svetlana FicovĂĄ
Bio/Wiki | |
---|---|
Profession(s) | Politician, Lawyer |
Famous for | ⢠Holding a record as the longest-serving Prime Minister of Slovakia ⢠Being the co-founder of the Slovakian political party SMER-SD |
Physical Stats & More | |
Height (approx.) | 6' (183 cm) |
Eye Colour | Light Blue |
Hair Colour | Grey |
Politics | |
Political Party | ⢠Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (1986-1989) ![]() ⢠Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) (1989-1999) ![]() ⢠SMER-SD (1999-present) ![]() |
Political Journey | ⢠Served as Member of Parliament as a SDÄ˝ candidate (23 June 1992 - 4 July 2006) ⢠Member of the Constitutional Committee of the NRSR (1992-2002) ⢠Served as a Member of the permanent delegation of the NRSR in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (1994-2005) ⢠Served as the Chairman of the Prison Commission at the Constitutional Committee of the NRSR (1995-2003) ⢠Elected as deputy chairman of SDÄ˝ (1998) ⢠Co-founded SMERâSD (1999) ⢠Became Chairman of SMERâSD (1999) ⢠Served as an Observer of the National Council of the Slovak Republic in the European Parliament (2002-2004) ⢠Served as the leader of the opposition (2002-2006) ⢠Served as a Member of the NRSR Committee for Human Rights, Nationalities and the Status of Women ⢠Served as Prime Minister of Slovakia (4 July 2006 - 8 July 2010) ⢠Served as Minister of Justice (26 March 2009 - 3 July 2009) ⢠Served as the Deputy Chairman of the National counsil (2010-2012) ⢠Served as Deputy Speaker of the National Council (9 July 2010 - 4 April 2012) ⢠Served as the leader of the opposition (2010-2012) ⢠Served as Prime Minister of Slovakia (4 April 2012 - 22 March 2018) ![]() ⢠Elected as Member of Parliament (8 July 2010 - 4 April 2012) ⢠Elected as Member of Parliament (22 March 2018 - 25 October 2023) ⢠Served as Prime Minister of Slovakia (25 October 2023 - present) ![]() |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 15 September 1964 (Tuesday) |
Age (as of 2024) | 59 Years |
Birthplace | TopoÄžÄany, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) |
Zodiac sign | Virgo |
Signature | ![]() |
Nationality | ⢠Czechoslovak (1964-2003) ⢠Slovak (2003-present) |
Hometown | TopoÄžÄany, Slovakia |
School | ⢠An elementary school in TopoÄžÄany ⢠A local Gymnasium of TopoÄžÄany (1986) |
College/University | ⢠Comenius University Bratislava (1982-1986) ⢠Institute of State and Law of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (1988-1992) ⢠School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London (UCL) (2002) |
Educational Qualification(s) | ⢠Juris Doctor (Criminal Law) from Comenius University Bratislava ⢠Candidate of Sciences (Criminal Law) from Slovak Academy of Sciences ⢠Post-graduate studies at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies ⢠PhD in Habitual Defence |
Religion | Christianity (Roman Catholic) |
Controversies | Accused of Having Extra Marital Affairs Robert Fico has often been accused of romantic involvements despite of being married. In 2010, he was reported to be involved with Jana HalĂĄszovĂĄ, a secretary in Smer-SD. They both were reportedly seen together at gay bar in Slovakia. It was also reported that Fico assisted Jana's family members in getting government jobs at good posts. check sources NovĂ˝ Äas He was seen at a restaurant in ÄereĹany with his secretary HalĂĄszovĂĄ. There, he was seen holding and kissing her. When the reporters confronted him, he left the place. check sources NovĂ˝ Äas In 2020, he was allegedly dating KatarĂna SzalayovĂĄ, an associate of Fico. He reportedly gifted her a luxurious car worth âŹ40,000. check sources Aktuality.sk ![]() Accused of Murder of A Journalist In 2018, Robert Fico resigned from the Prime Ministership following civil unrest in Slovakia after the death of journalist JĂĄn Kuciak and his girlfriend. JĂĄn was revealing corruption involving Fico's party, and Fico and his government were accused of playing a role in the murder. check sources Media Freedom Rapid Response ![]() Threatening A Journalist In 2023, an international organisation named Reporters Without Borders issued a notice to Fico asking him to avoid threatening journalists. The notice was issued after a journalist named Matej PrĂbelskĂ˝ complained about receiving death threats from Fico's followers on his command for reporting his interaction with a YouTuber named Danny Kollar, on whose name there were three international warrants of harassments. Accused of Changing Laws To Save Party Members In 2023, Fico presented a bill in the parliament which reduced the prison sentence for serious crimes such as financial fraud, sexual abuse, and murder. Many critics claimed that Fico had done so to help his party members who were involved in such activities. The European Union (EU) also criticised Fico's government saying that its reforms risked "irreparable damage" to rule of law. check sources The Guardian |
Social Media | ⢠Instagram ⢠Facebook ⢠Twitter ⢠LinkedIn |
Relationships & More | |
Marital Status | Married |
Affairs/Girlfriends | ⢠Svetlana FicovĂĄ (teacher, lawyer) ![]() ⢠KatarĂna SzalayovĂĄ (rumoured; works at a law firm) ![]() |
Marriage Date | Year, 1988 |
Family | |
Wife/Spouse | Svetlana FicovĂĄ (teacher, lawyer) |
Children | Son- Michal Fico (worked at Comenius University Bratislava, auditor at KPMG) Daughter- None ![]() |
Parents | Father- Ä˝udovĂt Fico (forklift operator) Mother- Emilie FicovĂĄ (shoe store worker) |
Siblings | Brother- Ladislav Fico (elder; entrepreneur) ![]() Sister- Lucia ChabadovĂĄ (younger; lawyer, government prosecutor) ![]() |
Other Relatives | Michal Fico's father-in-law- Miloslav Äurilla (owner of the RuĹžomberok paper mill) ![]() |
Money Factor | |
Salary (approx.) | âŹ9,572 (as the Prime Minister of Slovakia) (as of February 2024) check sources TASR |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Robert Fico
Fico spent the first six years in his ancestral village in HruĹĄovany.
At the age of ten, he along with his family relocated to a town situated close to TopoÄžÄany.
As a child, he wished to make a career either as a politician, a sports reporter, or an archaeologist.
After completing his schooling, Fico joined the Communist Party of Slovakia as a student activist.
A photo of Robert Fico taken when he was in his early 20s
As a law student, he was taught by Jozef MoravÄĂk, who went on to become the future Prime Minister of Slovakia.
Robertâs photo taken in 1982
Fico excelled in law studies. His teachers described him as âambitious, very confident, and very involved in discussions.â
He met his wife, Svetlana Ficova, while they both were studying law at Comenius University Bratislava.
Following the completion of his formal education, Robert Fico was conscripted into the Slovakian Army as an officer.
He applied to become a member of the Communist Party of Slovakia in 1984.
From 1986 to 1987, Fico served as an assistant military investigator (an army lawyer) in Janovice, which is now in the Czech Republic.
A photo of Robert Fico (in the middle) taken while he was serving in the Czechoslovak Army
He served in the Legal Institute of the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic from 1986 to 1995.
From 1987 to 1988, he served as a judicial trainee and judicial examiner in the Government of Czechoslovakia.
In 1989, he left the Communist Party after it was overthrown following the Velvet Revolution.
After completing his mandatory military service, he began working at the Slovak Academy of Sciencesâ Institute of State and Law. There, he served till 1992.
He also served in an important post in the Ministry of Justice until 1992.
In the same year, he became a Member of the Czechoslovakia Parliament. He gained fame among the public for raising issues related to their standard of living.
Robertâs photo taken in the parliament in the 1990s
It is claimed that his inclination towards Russia strengthened during his time in the military as in the 1980s, Slovakia was a part of the Soviet-led Eastern bloc.
Robert Fico posing for a photo with the Russian President Vladimir Putin
For his PhD, he wrote a thesis titled âThe death penalty in Czechoslovakia.â
He studied under the Masaryk scholarship at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, a part of University College London (UCL).
In 1994, he was chosen as the legal counsel for Czechoslovakia at the European Court of Human Rights. Till 2000, he represented the government in 14 cases; however, all the cases were lost.
Fico announced in 1998 that he would be contesting to become a general prosecutor in the government. However, his party sidelined him for another candidate, stating that Fico was too young and inexperienced to run for the post.
In the same yearâs parliamentary elections, Fico received the highest votes among his party members.
A photo of Robert Fico taken while he was in the Parliament of Czechoslovakia
He along with four other associates decided to float a political party in 1998. The party, Direction â Social Democracy (SMER), was established in 1999.
To improve the partyâs chances of survival, Robert Fico implemented several strict rules under the âclean handsâ policy. It banned members who previously held a post in the communist party or served in any other political establishment from holding appointments within the party.
Robert Fico during an event organised by the SMER-SD
He left the Party of the Democratic Left (SDÄ˝) in 1999 over ideological and method of working differences.
He later received the title of associate professor at the UCL for getting good grades.
In 2000, he passed the Bar Association Examination with good marks and became a member.
He was appointed as a defence counsel training for the International Criminal Court in Hague in 2003.
He has penned many research articles in the field of human rights and criminal law. These articles have been published in countries such as the United States of America, England, Finland, Belgium and France.
He has also taught law at many universities in England, Russia, and Slovakia.
In 2003, he changed the name of the SMER to Direction (Third Way) known in Slovak as Smer (tretia cesta) and later to Smer-SD.
By 2004, SMER saw the merger of many left-wing political parties including SDÄ˝.
In the 2006 Slovak Parliamentary Elections campaigning, Fico argued against the implementation of liberal economic policies inspired by the West.
As per sources, Fico managed to lead his party to a win in the 2006 elections as his claims of the previous governmentâs healthcare and education sectorsâ reforms being unsatisfactory and corrupt were supported by organisations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank (WB).
Despite being able to form a government in the centre in 2006, his party was criticised and later suspended till 2008 for forging an alliance with MeÄiarâs Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and the Nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) as a coalition with the smaller parties was seen unconstitutional in Slovakia.
In 2007, during his leadership, land in the village Tatra that was worth $1.5 billion was sold to GVM Enterprises by a minister for under $13 million. This led to the government receiving criticism from the citizens. He talked about it. in an interview, and said,
We will not take the property of the people of Slovakia from under their asses.â
In the same year, he went to Libya, where he met Muammar Gaddafi, the then-military dictator. There, Fico discussed âthe fight against world imperialismâ with him.
A photo of Robert Fico with the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi
Many ministers and his party are known for their extreme conservative views. The party has many times officially released anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-Romani, Islamophobic, anti-immigration, and sexist statements.
In 2008, SMER applied to become a member of the Party of European Socialists (PES), a transnational political party in Europe. The application was rejected based on SMER politicians making remarks about minorities and their rights in the Czech Republic as well as in Slovakia.
Later, PES agreed to view their petition and admitted them on the condition to respect minority rights.
Robert Fico with PES delegates during a press conference
In January 2008, after Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, Fico criticised Kosovo and received a lot of criticism from the Slovaks.
In the same year, Fico released a statement in which he criticised Georgia for âinstigatingâ Russia that led to the invasion.
His government unsuccessfully sought to take control of the stakes owned by subsidiaries owned by the French and German gas corporations named Gaz de France (GDF) and E.ON SE.
During his term as the first Prime Minister of Slovakia, the countryâs status in the European Union (EU) increased. However, many procurement scandals also took place leading to a loss of millions of Euros from the treasury.
In 2009, Slovakia became part of the Eurozone.
Despite receiving 34 per cent of votes in the 2010 Parliamentary Elections, Fico was unable to form a government as right-wing parties collaborated to form a government.
Before the 2010 elections, he had a very strong support of public, but the support ended after an audiotape scandal came to the limelight in which he was heard giving an account of corruption that he allegedly did.
After forming the government in 2010, Fico increased the road toll tax. This led to massive unrest among the truckers in Slovakia. Initially, Fico refused to address the situation; however, after some time, he agreed to reduce the toll collected from the truckers.
Following his victory in the 2012 Parliamentary elections, Fico established the first one-party government in Slovakia since its independence in 2003. The last time there was a one-party government was in 1993 when Czechoslovakia existed.
In 2012, his government implemented a labour law which made it mandatory for the employer to provide a lay-off notice period, severance pay, reduced overtime, making layoffs more expensive for employers, shorter temporary work contracts, and more power for trade unions.
He later implemented Value Added Taxation (VAT) to medicines and books for which he received a lot of criticism.
His government has also been taken to the international court for implementing laws that led to a decrease in the values of the stakes held by foreign insurance companies in the Slovakian health industry.
In the 2014 Parliamentary elections in Slovakia, Fico was defeated by Andrej Kiska, an independent candidate.
In 2015, Fico, while addressing the European migrant crisis, made an anti-Muslim statement and said that âthere is no place of Islam in Slovakia.â
In 2016, Robert Fico failed to prove his majority in the parliamentary elections. Therefore, he allied with the Slovak National Party, the MostâHĂd, and the Slovak Conservative Party to prove his majority and become the Prime Minister.
He is often criticised for bringing law reforms that have led to a degradation in the justice system of the country. He has also lowered penalties given to sexual abusers and murderers.
The US often accused his party of spreading anti-US and pro-Russian propaganda.
Smerâs foreign policy manifesto claims that Slovakiaâs government would deal âlessâ with the countries following a parliamentary form of government.
In April 2017, he accused the American hedge-fund billionaire George Soros and the then President of Slovakia Andrej Kiska of conspiring against him.
He, however, resigned from his post on 14 March 2018 to contest in early elections due to political instability in Slovakia caused by the murder of JĂĄn Kuciak, an investigative journalist.
He named Peter Pellegrini, his subordinate, as the next Prime Ministerial candidate.
From 2018 to 2020, Fico did not participate in any political activity.
In 2020, while the government was advocating for vaccination and adherence to lockdown and other precautionary measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, his party opposed these efforts in Slovakia.
In the same year, Smer was divided due to differences in political ideologies. This led to the creation of Voice â Social Democracy.
Fico had numerous times expressed his opinions against the Slovak governmentâs decision to send a contingent of troops to Afghanistan in a non-combat role to assist the United States of America.
Fico has often made headlines for his anti-West and pro-Russia statements. He has often supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine by calling Ukraine being run by a Nazi regime.
In 2023, he started a campaign named âNot A Single Round For Ukraine.â Under this, he campaigned for not sending ammunition and other war-like aid to Kyiv in its war against Russia.
This came at a time when other members of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries were providing aid to Ukraine.
Robert Fico shaking hands with the NATOâs secretary general
He has also raised his voice against the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, Slovakia, claiming it to be against the conservative principles of Slovakia.
Although he claimed to be a devout Roman Catholic before the 2023 elections, his Communist Party joining form from 1984 states that he is an atheist. He also claimed to have a scientific Marxist-Leninist worldview.
Smer officially follows democratic principles, but there is a belief in communist nostalgia, which is the desire to revert to socialist principles before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Members refer to each other as âcomrades,â a salutation used by the Soviets before the collapse. In January 2024, Fico was seen paying his respects at the grave of the last Slovakian communist President, Gustav HusĂĄk.
He is an avid dog lover. He owns a pet white colour Labrador named Larry the Labrador.
A photo of Fico with Larry
He has often expressed his desire to establish a China and Vietnam type of political structure in Slovakia.
A photo of Fico with the Chinese Ambassador to Slovakia
To remain fit, Robert Fico likes to exercise. He goes for a swim every day.
Ficoâs photo taken near a swimming pool
In June 2023, Fico asked for the passing of a law that declared NGOs functioning on foreign aid as âforeign agents.â
He shares a very poor relationship with the media. He has often abused and attacked the media personnel and accused them of promoting instability in the country.
He also passed a law under which he sought placement of the news channels under a nationalised body whose board was to be appointed by the Ficoâs government.
His government also implemented a law that closed the Special Prosecutorâs Office. This office was in charge of dealing with cases of corruption and financial scandals.
In October 2023, SMER was suspended by PES as its member. The party was suspended because of its connection with âextreme nationalists.â
He is well-versed in many languages including English, Russian, and Slovak.
In January 2024, Slovakia threatened to veto Americaâs bid to make Ukraine a member of NATO. This was met with a lot of criticism from other NATO members. However, when he met the Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal in the same month, he changed his stand and extended Slovakiaâs support for Ukraine.
Denys Shmyhal, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, with Robert Fico in Slovakia
On 15 May 2024, a 71-year-old man named Juraj Cintula shot Fico five times; four times in the stomach and one time in the arm. After the shooting, Fico was admitted to a hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for five hours.
Slovak police personnel take Juraj Cintula into custody after he shot Robert five times
On 16 May 2024, doctors revealed that Fico was medically stable and had no serious issue.
The assassination attempt on him was criticised by many world leaders such as Narendra Modi , Donald Trump , and Joe Biden.
Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakiaâs Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Robert Fico. I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic.
â Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2024
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