Last week, the government office, led by Durai Gedra, alongside Prime Minister Eric Kalinak, Fico’s chief adviser and newly elected European MP, and Richard Gluck, a member of the National Council, unveiled a communication campaign to the press. The campaign purports to promote respect for differing opinions and societal reconciliation. One of the initial actions of the current Fico government, spearheaded by Mr. Gedra, was the dismantling of counter hybrid and strategic communication units within the government office and other areas of public administration.
During the press conference, the three SMER politicians criticised the previous government’s efforts to counter the pervasive Russian information influence in Slovakia, propagated anti-vaccine disinformation, and labelled pro-Kremlin media projects as citizen media. They cited the acceptance of such media as the prime example of their campaign “I Respect Another Opinion.” This initiative could be seen as part of SMER’s ongoing endeavour to further normalise Russian information influence in Slovakia.
