Thousands of Slovakians took to the streets of the capital Bratislava to protest alleged corruption in the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico.
As reported by The Associated Press (AP), the protesters demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, who is a close ally of Fico’s, police chief Tibor Gaspar and other officials they allege have prevented proper investigations of corruption scandals.
President Andrej Kiska was supporting the student organised demonstration.
In a separate report, Bloomberg quoted the director of the Bratislava-based Institute for Public Affairs. Grigorij Meseznikov said: “Rising living standards and falling unemployment is no longer enough. They want a better society where the rule of law is respected. These are protests against governments that are not viewed good anymore.”
Slovakia ranks 54th in the world in Transparency International’s corruption-perception index, the worst among the EU’s eastern members after Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
Source: New Europe