Roughly 2,000 people gathered in front of the Slovak National Council on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to protest a government proposal that would eliminate postal voting for citizens living abroad. View more on this topic in the Google News app
The demonstration, organized by a coalition of opposition parties including Progresívne Slovensko (PS), SaS, KDH, and Demokrati, took place while lawmakers were engaged in a lengthy voting session inside the parliament building. The timing ensured that coalition MPs heard the protesters’ chants of “Enough of Fico!” as they cast their votes.
At the heart of the dispute is a coalition proposal that would restrict overseas voting. If passed, Slovak citizens residing outside the country would no longer be able to vote by mail and would instead be required to cast their ballots in person at diplomatic missions. This shift could impose significant financial and logistical burdens on voters, many of whom would face long and expensive journeys to reach the nearest embassy or be forced to travel back to Slovakia.
The move underscores a deepening political divide, as the opposition claims Prime Minister Robert Fico is attempting to consolidate his power by limiting voting rights. Opposition leaders argue that the government is targeting postal voting specifically because the method is more advantageous to opposition supporters.
Patrícia Krausová Olšovská, a doctoral student at Comenius University’s Faculty of Natural Sciences who has spent part of her life abroad, spoke at the rally regarding the government’s motivations. “It is shameful that this government does not even hide the fact that they want to limit voting from abroad because it is more advantageous for the opposition,” she said.
The potential abolition of postal voting highlights a critical tension regarding democratic access, as restricting the ease with which the diaspora can participate in elections may lead to a decrease in overall voter turnout from abroad.
