Marek Mikić studied and worked abroad for several years, but never thought he would leave his native Slovakia permanently. He had a group of his closest friends and they were planning to hold a music festival in the eastern town of Košice.
But last September, the populist pledged to halt military aid to Ukraine, promote conservative family values and block investigations by courts investigating high-level corruption cases linked to allies. After Robert Fico was re-elected, he changed his mind. .
“The election was the last straw for me,” said Mikić, a DJ and concert promoter who recently moved to Prague. “I’m not saying everything in the Czech Republic is ideal, but I’d rather be here than go back to my hometown.”
Like tens of thousands of other young progressive Slovaks, Mikić feels that his country is becoming increasingly closed, corrupt and out of step with the liberal West. Fico’s blend of nationalism, left-wing populism, and social conservatism brought Slovakia closer to Viktor Orbán’s Hungary. Like Orbán, Fico is spreading pro-Russian propaganda and trying to silence independent media.
The country of 5.5 million people has been experiencing an exodus of young elites for decades. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 20% of university students study abroad, compared to the EU average of just 4%. But since Fico’s return, the number has increased even more, said Michal Vašechka, director of the Bratislava Policy Institute.
“The younger generation no longer believes in Slovakia,” Vasiečka said. “Once they leave, there is nothing to come back to. They consider this country a remote place.”
The main beneficiary of this outflow is the Czech Republic, which is the “best beneficiary of Slovak society,” Vasiečka said. More than half of Slovak university graduates choose to study in Slovakia, attracted by its more active job market, more tolerant society and minimal language barriers.
Jakub, a 23-year-old student from central Slovakia, moved to Prague last month to work as a flight attendant for Czech airline Smartwings. This was the first step towards realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot. He said he was fed up with Slovakia’s corrupt business environment, which had only worsened since Fico’s election.
“Most of the people in my bubble are completely dissatisfied with the election results and are at least considering leaving,” he said. “Slovak society is incredibly polarized and there is a lot of accumulated aggression.”
Many of the attacks have been directed at minorities, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, which was deeply shaken by the killing of two people outside a popular gay nightclub in Bratislava in 2022. According to a recent survey, 55% of Slovakians believe that the LGBTQ+ movement is an “immoral and decadent ideology”.
Slovak politicians are only adding fuel to the fire. Jubos Blaha, deputy leader of Fico’s Smer party, has repeatedly warned against “gender ideology” and “rainbow fascism”.
Tatyana Jančarikova, who left Slovakia with her family last year, said she could not imagine raising her children in such a society.
The mother of two, who worked as a strategic communications specialist in the former Slovak government before moving to Prague, said: “Even if my children turned out to be gay or transgender, I wouldn’t be able to tell them.” I can’t control it,” he said. “But even if these problems are not personal, the atmosphere in Slovakia has become completely unbearable. I just don’t want to grow up in an environment where people say mean things to their friends. is.”
She and her husband moved to the Czech Republic primarily for work reasons, but find it difficult to imagine bringing their children back to Slovakia. She said: “Prague is more liberal. It’s normal to see two men holding hands in public. That’s what I want for my children, to live in a free and open place. That’s the thing.”
Slovakia is not only losing brains, but capital as well. Some of the country’s biggest companies, including real estate developer HB Levis, software company Eset and technology developer Vacuum Labs, have moved to the Czech Republic, citing corruption and a hostile political environment.
Even Glovsec, Slovakia’s top security conference, which has hosted speakers such as Ursula von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pope Francis, and Emmanuel Macron in the past, moved to Prague this year. I decided to move it. The decision came after Fico announced the withdrawal of state funding for Globsec, which he derogatorily referred to as “the place where George Soros comes to take pictures.”
Daniela Hanusová, a film curator who left the country immediately after graduating from high school, says it is difficult for young, liberal Slovaks to return to such a stifling atmosphere. Her working-class parents always encouraged her and her three siblings to leave Slovakia as soon as possible. Three of the four currently live overseas.
She visits family, friends, and colleagues about three times a year. But when she was asked if she would consider returning permanently, she shook her head. She said: “There are few things I am more sure of than the fact that she will never return to Slovakia.”
