BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands of people rallied across Slovakia on Thursday as protests intensified against a plan by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code. The protests came hours after President Zuzana Čaputová voiced her strong opposition to the changes, saying they could jeopardize the rule of law. The plan approved by Fico’s coalition government includes abolishing the special prosecutors’ office, which handles serious crimes such as graft, organized crime and extremism.