Our colleagues at Friends of Slovakia partnered with the German Marshall Fund of the United States on April 28, 2020 to present this special webinar event which can be viewed below.

Discussants:

• Dr. Kevin Deegan Krause, Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University, Michigan
• Pavol Demeš, Senior Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Dr. Grigorij Mesežnikov, President, Institute for Public Affairs, Bratislava
• Moderator: Jonathan Katz, Senior Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States 

“Slovakia has woken up.” “Seismic anger…” “March of the inexperienced.” These were some of the headlines in the days after Slovakia’s February 28 parliamentary election, in which an amalgam of opposition parties soundly defeated the long-time governing party. The new government, sworn-in wearing surgical masks and gloves, faces the immediate challenge of managing the health impact and economic fallout from coronavirus without losing sight of its broader objectives. How will it convert its anti-corruption message into practical measures? What do the election results say about the popularity of right-wing populists, the role of the Hungarian minority in Slovak society, and Slovakia’s relations with its Visegrad neighbors? Will Slovakia’s approach on the major issues facing the European Union shift? What approach should the United States take with the new government?