Slovakia: New Government, New Challenges

Discussants

• Dr. Kevin Deegan Krause, Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University, Michigan
• Pavol Demes, Senior Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Dr. Grigorij Meseznikov, President, Institute for Public Affairs, Bratislava
• Martina Hrvolova, Program Officer for Europe and Eurasia, Center for International Private Enterprise

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 and societal impacts and economic fallout from coronavirus without losing sight of its broader objectives. On April 28 panelists will focus on these critical topics and questions, including will the new government under these difficult circumstances still be able to convert their 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 and other regional challenges?

Due to concerns about the coronavirus and in order to enable a wider audience to participate in this discussion, we invite you to join us via webinar. You may register here.

If you have any questions, please contact John Alexander at [email protected].