Slovakia’s brain drain picks up pace under populist leader Robert Fico

Tens of thousands of young Slovaks who see little future in an increasingly intolerant society are leaving for Prague

Although Marek Miki spent a few years studying and working abroad, he never expected to leave his native Slovakia permanently. He had a group of close friends and a music festival to run in the eastern town of Koice.

But he changed his mind last September after the re-election of Robert Fico, a populist who promised he would stop military aid to Ukraine, promote conservative family values, and muzzle the courts that have been investigating high-level corruption cases tied to his allies.