Robert Fico is a Slovak politician and lawyer, who has served as the prime minister of Slovakia since 2023. Fico holds the distinction as the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history. His collective time in power spans over 13 years across four distinct mandates. He founded the left-wing political party Direction – Social Democracy in 1999 and has led the party since. His political positions have been variously described as populist, left-wing and conservative.