(Bloomberg) -- Slovakia's prime minister hinted that foreign forces, including philanthropist billionaire George Soros, were behind efforts to overthrow his government as it faces unprecedented pressure to resign.
By pointing to Soros, Premier Robert Fico, joins other eastern European leaders who accuse the Hungarian-born financier of undermining their leadership at home. Fico, now mid-way through his third time as premier, rejects calls by the opposition and the president to revamp his cabinet or call early elections after a murder of a reporter sparked mass protests around the European Union member state of 5.4 million citizens last week.
Fico has also refused to part ways with his close ally, Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, as demanded by the opposition during the protests. He fought back by accusing his rivals, including Kiska, of using the journalist's murder for their own political gain. The opposition has threatened to call a no-confidence motion this week against the government that may test the endurance of the premier's fragile majority in parliament.
“You can accuse me of conspiracy theories, I don't care,” Fico told reporters on Tuesday, adding he was awaiting an explanation from President Andrej Kiska on why he met with Soros without any other state representatives during his visit to New York in September. “He wanted to speak privately with Mr. Soros, and we all know what he is doing in this region.”
Read more about political fallout of the journalist's murder
In recent decades, Soros has dedicated some of his wealth to rebuild democratic societies in eastern Europe after it shed communism in 1989. In neighboring Hungary, he's become a target of criticism in the election campaign of populist Premier Viktor Orban.
Kiska has said his conversation with Soros evolved around the living conditions of the Roma, who are among the poorest citizens in Slovakia.
To contact the reporters on this story: Radoslav Tomek in Vienna at rtomek@bloomberg.net, Peter Laca in Prague at placa@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Andrew Langley
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