Slovak PM warns of gov't changes amid coalition instability

BRATISLAVA - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced Tuesday that he would propose government changes if two coalition parties fail to resolve internal disagreements with members of parliament who have left their caucuses.

In a social media post, Fico urged the Voice-SD and Slovak National Party (SNS) to reach agreements with the defecting lawmakers by next Monday. If they fail to do so, he said he would present his proposed government changes to President Peter Pellegrini that same day.

During Slovakia's parliamentary election on Sept 30, 2023, Fico's Smer-SD party secured 42 seats in the 150-member National Council, falling short of the 76 seats needed for a majority. The party later formed a governing coalition with Voice-SD and SNS.

However, in November 2023, three SNS lawmakers broke away from the caucus and stopped voting with the coalition, reducing its majority from 79 to 76 seats. Additionally, the Voice-SD caucus lost three members this year, with one joining the SNS defectors and two being expelled from the party.

Fico urged the two coalition parties to find a solution to restore a stable governing majority, while Voice-SD and SNS requested more time for negotiations.

"Representatives of the ruling coalition have today been engaged in intensive discussions to definitively resolve the crisis within the Voice-SD and SNS parties, which are currently unable to guarantee a stable governing majority due to the MPs who have left their parliamentary caucuses," Fico stated.

Meanwhile, SNS leader Andrej Danko criticized Fico's approach, calling it a "gross violation of the coalition agreement," reported the News Agency of the Slovak Republic. In an open letter to the prime minister, Danko urged Fico not to exert pressure or undermine the SNS and Voice-SD parties.