A referendum in Slovakia to abolish the lifetime pension for Prime…

A referendum in Slovakia to abolish the lifetime pension for Prime Minister Robert Fico failed due to low voter turnout.

Consensus

The referendum to revoke lifetime pensions for Prime Minister Robert Fico failed due to low voter turnout
Voter turnout was below the required 50% threshold for validity
The referendum took place on July 4, 2025
Two questions were posed in the referendum: one about canceling Fico's pension and another about restoring special prosecution agencies
Fico did not participate in the voting
Only one of ten historical referendums in Slovakia had been successful

The referendum was considered a failure because it was driven by hatred rather than political process, according to Fico — vesti
The referendum was initiated after more than 350,000 people signed a petition from the non-parliamentary party 'Democrats' — interfax
Fico had previously announced he would not participate in the vote — vedomosti
The referendum was initiated by the non-parliamentary party Demokrati ('Democrats') — kommersant
President Peter Pellegrini did not include a third question about reducing parliamentary term limits — vedomosti
The pension was introduced in 2024 after an assassination attempt on Fico — meduza
Lifetime pensions were granted to prime ministers and parliament speakers who served at least two terms, following the 2024 attack on Fico — tvrain