Tens of thousands of people protested in Prague on Saturday against the policies and plans of the new Czech government led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, according to organizers. The protesters attended a peaceful demonstration at Letná park in Prague, with organizers estimating the crowd at 200,000 people. The protest was organized by the Million Moments for Democracy group, with protesters expressing concerns that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his coalition Cabinet are a threat to democracy, steering the country away from supporting Ukraine and toward an autocratic path.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš returned to power after his ANO movement won big in the Czech Republic's October election and formed a coalition with the Freedom and Direct Democracy party and the Motorists for Themselves party. The new Czech government is preparing a bill that critics say is inspired by a Russian law on foreign agents and would require NGOs and individuals involved in vaguely defined political activity and receiving foreign aid to register or face big fines. The government also plans to change the funding of public radio and television, a move many say would give the government control of the broadcasters.
The protest was held after a recent decision by the lower house of parliament to reject a motion to lift the immunity from prosecution of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in a $2 million fraud case involving EU subsidies. The rejection of the motion means that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš can stand trial only after his term in the house expires in 2029, according to parliamentary procedures. Lawmakers also refused to agree to allow for the prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura on charges of inciting hatred.
Thousands of protesters in Slovakia's capital and elsewhere in the country rallied on Tuesday against a controversial plan by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to scrap mail voting for Slovaks living abroad. The rally in Slovakia was outside the Parliament in Bratislava and was organized by the Progressive Slovakia party together with three other political groups: Freedom and Solidarity, the Christian Democrats, and the Democrats. Prime Minister Robert Fico claims the plan to scrap mail voting is to prevent fraud and manipulations.
If the plan passes, the only option remaining for Slovaks to vote abroad will be to cast their ballots at Slovakia's embassies. In the 2023 parliamentary election, almost 59,000 Slovaks living abroad voted by mail. Slovaks also rallied on Tuesday in the cities of Košice and Banská Bystrica, as well as in Brussels and Prague.
Prime Minister Robert Fico has been a divisive figure at home and abroad since returning to power in 2023, with his pro-Russian and other policies prompting numerous protests. Critics say Prime Minister Robert Fico's autocratic rule has been inspired by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The rally in Slovakia opened with applause for neighboring Hungary's weekend election that ousted populist leader Viktor Orbán, rejecting his authoritarian rule in favor of a pro-Europe candidate.