BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people in Slovakia on Monday protested against populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and his pro-Russian stance, taking advantage of the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution that ended decades of communist rule in the former Czechoslovakia.
Rallies and marches took place in dozens of communities. The protesters in Freedom Square in the rainy capital, Bratislava, chanted, “We have enough of Fico,” “We want a change” and “Resign."
One banner in the crowd displayed the words by late Czechoslovak and Czech President Václav Havel that became the motto of the Velvet Revolution: “Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred."
Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia, and thousands have repeatedly rallied to protest his policies. Most recently, his government canceled the national holiday on Monday that marked the Velvet Revolution, calling it part of austerity measures.
Michal Šimečka, leader of the major opposition Progressive Slovakia party, rejected that explanation.
“It has nothing to do with economy or savings,” Šimečka said. “Robert Fico just wants to tell us that the holiday of freedom is useless, that freedom is useless. We value freedom and we will not let it be taken away from us.”
Fico also recently angered many in Slovakia by telling students in the city of Poprad that they should go to fight for Ukraine if they don’t agree with his pro-Russian views.
Fico has met Russian President Vladimir Putin three times since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and cancelled all Slovakian bilateral military support for Ukraine. He also has openly challenged the European Union’s policies on Ukraine.
People attend a rally to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the pro-democratic Velvet Revolution, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Jaroslav Novak/TASR via AP)
A demonstrant blows a whistle and shows the victory sign during a rally to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the pro-democratic Velvet Revolution, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Jaroslav Novak/TASR via AP)
People hold mobile phones with flashlights during a rally to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the pro-democratic Velvet Revolution, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Jaroslav Novak/TASR via AP)
HONG KONG (AP) — About a third of Hong Kong 's registered voters elected a new 90-member legislature Sunday, a turnout that avoided an embarrassment for the government but fell short of a ringing endorsement of an electoral system revamp that eliminated the once feisty opposition in the Chinese territory.
The turnout rate reached 31.9%, surpassing the 30.2% in the 2021 election, the first held under the new system. It was much lower than before the electoral changes, when turnout topped 50%.
Many of the city’s 4.1 million eligible voters, especially democracy supporters, have turned away from politics since a crackdown that has stifled dissent. Candidates must now go through a vetting process that ensures they are patriots who are loyal to the Chinese government. The government says the changes were needed to bring stability after massive anti-government protests in 2019.
The government launched a major campaign to drive up turnout, adding polling stations, extending voting hours and holding candidate forums. But public anger over government accountability in an apartment fire that killed at least 159 people late last month threatened to keep some potential voters at home.
In the end, enough came out to nudge up the turnout rate from 2021.
“I’m performing my civic duty as a citizen to vote … but I’m not too certain which candidate is hardworking and which is not,” retiree Kwan Lam said outside a polling station. “I chose the one who cares for the elderly.”
Ahead of the vote, Chinese authorities called foreign media to a rare meeting to warn them that they need to comply with the city's national security laws.
Election campaigning was suspended after the fire and remained subdued in the final days out of respect for the victims.
Government efforts to drive up turnout, seen as a referendum on the new electoral system, had been in full swing before the blaze. Promotional banners and posters were hung throughout the city and subsidies offered to centers for older people and people with disabilities to help them vote.
Authorities arrested people who allegedly posted content that incited others not to vote or cast invalid votes.
Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades has raised questions over government oversight and suspected bid-rigging in building maintenance projects. The 1980s-era apartment complex was undergoing renovations.
Some candidates pledged to combat bid-rigging.
City leader John Lee said last week that going ahead with the election, rather than delaying it, would better support the response to the fire.
"They have all experienced this fire and shared the pain,” he said of the city's Legislative Council. “They will certainly work with the government to promote reforms, diligently review funding, and draft relevant laws.”
Even before the 2021 electoral changes, only half of what had been a 70-member legislature was chosen by the general electorate.
Now, that has been reduced to 20 out of 90 seats and 40 others are chosen by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. The remaining 30 represent various groups — mainly major industries such as finance, health care and real estate — and are elected by their members.
The “patriots” requirement for all candidates has pushed out the opposition parties, which advocated for making the system more democratic.
The candidate pool seems to reflect Beijing's desire to have more lawmakers who are more in tune with its agenda, some observers said, in what they see as signs of Beijing’s tightening control even over its loyalists.
Lee has said that personnel changes are normal during an election. He criticized attempts to “distort” these changes to smear the new election system.
A fall in turnout would have shown that even some government supporters are staying away, said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.
“It is a reflection of public sentiment,” he said.
Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong summoned representatives of several foreign news outlets, including The Associated Press, on Saturday.
Some foreign media had spread false information and smeared the government's disaster relief efforts after the fire, as well as attacked and interfered with the legislative elections, the Office for Safeguarding National Security said in a statement.
“No media outlet may use ‘freedom of the press’ as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs or Hong Kong affairs,” the statement said.
Authorities have warned the general public against using the fire to try to undermine the government and have arrested at least one person on suspicion of inciting hatred against government officials.
Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
People walk past a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People read the candidates information at a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, poses for photos at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee speaks to the media at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People look at a candidate brochure of the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election at a forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Pedestrians walk past the banner promoting the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
