BRATISLAVA — Slovaks cast ballots in a referendum on July 4, 2026, to decide whether to cancel lifelong payments for Prime Minister Robert Fico and other leaders after their terms expire, and to reopen the special prosecutor's office and the National Criminal Agency.

The referendum asks voters whether to end lifelong payments for prime ministers and parliament speakers who served at least two terms. The monthly sum is equivalent to the salaries of lawmakers in Parliament. These payments were introduced as part of measures to boost security for leading politicians following a 2024 assassination attempt in which Fico was shot and gravely wounded after a government meeting. Before 2024, the benefit was provided only to former presidents.

The ballot also included questions regarding the special prosecutor's office and the National Criminal Agency, which dealt with major crime and corruption. Earlier in 2024, Slovak lawmakers approved a plan by Fico's coalition government to abolish the special prosecutor's office and dismantle the police unit addressing serious crimes such as graft, organized crime, and extremism. Thousands of Slovaks protested the law abolishing the special prosecutors' office.

The Democrats, a non-parliamentary pro-Western opposition party, organized the petition that initiated the referendum. More than 350,000 citizens signed the petition, meeting the threshold required by law. Slovakia has a population of 5.4 million.

Polls suggested turnout for the referendum would not reach the required 50%. Only one referendum in Slovakia's history was successful: the 2003 vote on European Union membership. Previous referendums failed due to low turnout. Prime Minister Robert Fico stated, "I would not vote in this referendum."