Slovakia is a parliamentary republic whose prime minister leads the government. A directly elected president has limited executive powers, including overseeing the country’s foreign policy, nominating the prime minister, appointing individuals to high-ranking state positions, and exercising suspensive veto power over new legislation. In March 2019, environmental activist Zuzana Čaputová became the first woman elected president of Slovakia.

After the September 2023 snap elections, a new three-party coalition was formed, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico of the Smer-SD party and also composed of the Voice (Hlas) party and the Slovak National Party (SNS). This coalition replaced the caretaker cabinet appointed by the president in May 2023 following the previous parliament’s failure to establish a majority.

The 150 members of the unicameral parliament, the National Council, are directly elected to four-year terms in a single national constituency by proportional representation. In the September 2023 parliamentary elections the leftist-populist Smer-SD party received a plurality of votes, at 23 percent, followed by the liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS) with 18 percent. Smer-SD, led by three-time prime minister Fico, entered a coalition agreement with Hlas and the SNS. The Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OL’aNO) party, the liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SAS) party, and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) also secured parliamentary representation. The vote took place peacefully, and its results were accepted by stakeholders and the public and certified by the state’s election management body. Voter turnout was 68.5 percent.

The legal framework for elections is considered fair. A 14-member electoral commission oversees party financing and elections. Ten members are appointed by the parties in parliament and four are chosen by other institutions.

The then-opposition Smer-SD party initiated a referendum in January 2023 that sought to allow the parliament’s four-year term to be cut short either by a popular vote or a parliamentary resolution. However, the referendum was invalidated due to its low voter turnout.

Citizens can freely organize in political parties and movements. In 2023, 25 parties competed in elections and 6 of them entered parliament.

There have been regular transfers of power between parties in the last three decades.

The citizens of Slovakia are generally able to make political choices free from external pressures.

The political rights of various minority groups are generally protected, though some groups experience serious societal discrimination that hampers their ability to achieve meaningful representation. Most political parties exhibit open hostility towards the LGBT+ community. The largest governing party, Smer-SD, made anti-LGBT+ rhetoric one of the main themes of its pre-election campaign. Former prime minister Igor Matovič and the leader of KDH have both made derogatory comments about LGBT+ people. Roma are also poorly represented, and there have been reports of vote-buying in Romany settlements for local and regional elections.

Women are generally underrepresented in politics, and 33 were elected to parliament in 2023. The government has worked to implement action plans aimed at increasing parliamentary gender parity, but no significant change has been achieved.

Democratically elected politicians determine public policy.

Though corruption has long riddled Slovak institutions, the previous government made a significant effort to address the problem in recent years. Since 2020, dozens of state officials have been arrested and charged with corruption, bribery, and misuse of power. Several of these officials have pled guilty but many had denied the charges against them. Recent examples include the arrest of the head of Agricultural Payment Agency and of two former chiefs of the intelligence service. The latter are suspected of manipulating evidence in corruption cases involving other state officials and businessmen. The trial of Peter Kažimír, the governor of the central bank, continued in 2023. Kažimír is suspected of bribing a former financial official.

Slovak law obliges mandatory publication of all contracts in which a state or public institution is a party, but enforcement is inconsistent. Many business leaders believe that corruption was the main reason behind their failure to secure public tenders.

The 2006 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows citizens to request information from state and public institutions. Slovak authorities often disclose minimal information in response to FOIA requests, citing the European Union’s General Data Protection regulation (GDPR) legislation as a pretext.

Slovak media are generally free, but the sector remains shaken by the 2018 murder of Ján Kuciak, an investigative reporter who was working on corruption and tax fraud cases. In September 2020, a court convicted and sentenced two men for carrying out the murder, but acquitted well-known businessman Marian Kočner. The case is likely to return to the Supreme Court.

In June 2022, the parliament passed a media law that increases media transparency and requires outlets to publicly identify all donors and investors. Online media also gained the right to information, and to enjoy protection of their sources. Prime Minister Fico’s return to power heightened tensions with the media. In November 2023, Fico threatened to block four outlets’ access to government offices and ceased communicating with them. Fico further suggested that state-owned companies might halt advertising on TV Markíza and other “hostile” outlets. The government also pledged to split the public broadcaster RTVS into television and radio divisions, seen by critics as a move to change its management and tighten control over news content.

Religious freedom is guaranteed by the constitution and generally upheld by state institutions. Registered churches and religious societies are eligible for tax exemptions and government subsidies.

Academic freedom is guaranteed by the constitution and upheld by authorities.

People may discuss sensitive or political topics without fear of retribution or surveillance.

Freedom of assembly is constitutionally guaranteed and upheld by state authorities, and peaceful demonstrations are common. A number of antigovernment demonstrations took place in 2023, often initiated or attended by prominent opposition politicians. Protesters criticized various policies of the government, including its support for Ukraine amid the Russian regime’s full-scale military invasion and authorities’ slow reaction to an energy crisis.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are free to operate and to scrutinize state authorities. In 2023, the newly elected government hinted at the possibility of imposing new regulations on NGOs, some of which it perceives as foreign agents exerting influence on domestic politics. It proposed amendments that would effectively limit taxpayers’ ability to donate two percent of their taxes to support NGOs, a practice established over two decades ago. The proposal was met with vigorous criticism by NGOs and the opposition.

Trade unions in Slovakia are pluralistic and operate freely.

The constitution provides for an independent judiciary. However, there is a widespread perception of a lack of transparency and of corruption within the judicial system. The 2023 Rule of Law report issued by the European Commission found that Slovakia had not adopted adequate safeguards around the dismissal of Judicial Council members to ensure the body’s independence. In 2023, the newly elected government removed three members of the Judicial Council. All three members subsequently filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court.

Recent measures intended to enhance the quality of judicial decisions and to strengthen the judiciary’s efficiency include the creation of a new specialized court—the Supreme Administrative Court—in August 2021. In addition to hearing cases on matters of administrative law, the newly established court will carry out disciplinary proceedings against judges and prosecutors. Stakeholders reportedly view the new process of pursuing disciplinary proceedings against judges positively.

Due process usually prevails in civil and criminal matters. However, there have been reports of warrantless detentions or detentions otherwise carried out without other appropriate authorization.

While Slovakia is free from war, insurgencies, and high rates of violent crime, police abuse of suspects is a persistent problem. Reports of police violence against Roma emerge frequently.

Roma face persistent discrimination in many forms, including from public officials and in employment. Roma individuals have been among the most visible victims of rising far right White-supremacist sentiment in Slovak society. In a 2022 ruling, the Supreme Court declared that Roma children in a primary school in northeastern Slovakia had been the subject of discrimination, and that educating children in an exclusively Roma school constituted segregation.

Women are underrepresented in senior-level business and government positions. A 2023 report by the European Institute for Gender Equality found that while Slovakia improved its scores, it still fell below the European Union (EU) average and its progress towards gender equality was comparatively slower.

Though there are antidiscrimination laws in place, discrimination against members of minority groups often goes unreported. Police do not always investigate or take action in cases of discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Slovakia receives very few asylum applications, and primarily functions as a transit country for asylum seekers. However, Slovak authorities apply asylum protections restrictively: just 37 of 416 applicants were granted asylum in 2023.

The government respects the freedom of movement and the right of citizens to freely change their place of residence, employment, and education.

In general, the government does not arbitrarily interfere with citizens’ rights to own property and to establish private businesses.

Personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, are guaranteed and upheld by the state authorities, but a 2014 constitutional amendment defines marriage as a “unique bond” between one man and one woman. Parliament has repeatedly failed to pass legislative proposals that would increase the legal standing of same-sex partnerships. A March 2023 report from the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) highlighted Slovakia’s failure to adopt relevant legislation that would enhance the rights of LGBT+ individuals. A 2022 poll by Iniciatíva Inakosť reported that when LGBT+ individuals were in rural areas or on public transit up to 80 percent experienced fear and over 70 percent felt threatened.

Slovakia permits abortions, although conservative and far-right groups in parliament have repeatedly proposed restrictions.

Severe marginalization of Roma harms their opportunities for social mobility. Human trafficking is a problem, and mainly involves the transport of victims to countries in western and central Europe, where they are engaged in forced labor, sex work, and begging.

Slovakia adheres to EU standards on labor rights, but challenges like wage inequality, working conditions in certain industries, and labor market flexibility continue to be areas of concern.