Fico's last struggles

Losing one's warm seat is hardly a pleasant experience. Some leaders forget the fact that they were elected for a fixed period. In the event, their leadership proved to be favourable, perhaps another term could follow. 

Fico's mandate ended abruptly. Abruptly in the sense that his effort to consolidate all key positions, up and included to the Supreme Court - to ensure none of his cronies would face the risk of being persecuted for criminal offences (and one needs hardly to be a crime expert, to see very obvious transgressions). He would over-shout the opposition, blaming them of all the evil possible. Despite of the preference polls, Fico's crooked coalition crumbled against all hopes. 

Suddenly Fico's tone changed. The arrogance in which he ranted at anyone daring to ask a critical question, he suddenly called journalists amicably "colleagues" instead of the usual "hyena's, idiots or even pricks" (excuse my French). Now Fico was the hurt misunderstood 'statesman', who is desparately trying to save the nation against liberal influences, against embarrassment within the EU, and so on. Non-stop repeating the fact, that his party was by far the biggest in the country (but not able to get a majority coalition formed, since he has antagonised himself too much).

His populist language hasn't ceased. But the volume is slightly different. Now he is the poor victim. The small boy pleading for clemency after killing his parents, because he is an orphan. An outright chutzpah.

What definitively continues is his lying. Though not being in a comfortable powerposition any longer, still the interviewers do not ask too critical questions. Is it because they do not dare? Is it because they do not know - one would at least expect from a professional that (s)he would do so. 

Last Sundays TA3 was embarrassing. Fico is cunningly struggling to gain time, to send out his political message. His re-election campaign has started already. But if the journalists will not be able to brace themselves, and issue an appropriate ear-bashing to this lying schoolboy, then his followers will gradually increase again. Fico's games are far from finished, and he lusts for power again. Playing the hurt opposition is very dangerous and the necessary painful changes will call for much protests and misunderstanding.

Fico's last struggles as the prime-minister are at first sight perhaps tragi-comical, but equally dangerous. The role of the media will prove pivotal on how the 2014 will turn out. A litmus, whether Slovakia has indeed become a democratic country with some perspectives or will remain a feudal Balkan state. Let's only hope that they indeed remain his last. Fico exit est.

MS