The crisis within the ruling coalition led by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has intensified.
On September 29, the Slovak parliament voted to remove Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment Tomáš Taraba.
Notably, the Slovak National Party (SNS), a member of the ruling coalition, had originally nominated Taraba for the ministerial post. Yet this time, it joined opposition lawmakers in supporting his removal.
With the scheduled parliamentary election still approximately one year away, the outcome of this vote casts uncertainty over the survival of the current government.
A total of 77 legislators voted in favor of Taraba’s dismissal. All 77 members present at the session cast their votes in support, while 73 others were absent. Fico’s ruling coalition currently holds 78 of the 150 seats in parliament and relies on the backing of several pro-government independent MPs to maintain a majority.
Following the vote, Fico stated he would convene a leadership meeting of his Direction – Social Democracy party (Smer-SD) on September 30 to determine next steps. He said, “The actions taken by the Slovak National Party today compel Smer-SD to hold a leadership meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. to decide on the course forward.”
The conflict surrounding Taraba has persisted for months. Although he was proposed by the SNS, recent relations between Taraba and the party’s top leadership have deteriorated sharply. SNS leader Andrej Danko stated that there has been a lack of substantive communication with Taraba over critical documents and decisions within the Ministry of Environment.
The implications of this crisis extend far beyond the replacement of a single minister.
Fico has previously indicated that if internal conflicts within the coalition remain unresolved, an early parliamentary election as early as January 2027 cannot be ruled out.
However, shortening the current parliamentary term requires an absolute majority among deputies. Moreover, the collapse of the current government does not automatically trigger a new election, as Slovakia’s constitutional framework allows for attempts to form a new cabinet. Fico could also pursue efforts to reconfigure the existing ruling coalition.
Meanwhile, after the vote, Mihal Šimečka, leader of the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, asserted that an early election is the only viable way out of the current impasse. He declared the party would push for a swift election and called on Fico to resign: “We urge the prime minister to step down and face reality. Today’s vote against Robert Fico’s government should be decisive. Progressive Slovakia is prepared to support holding an early election as early as January.”
Even before Taraba’s removal, opposition forces had been discussing the possibility of an early election. Šimečka viewed the vote to oust Taraba as part of a broader move to replace the government. The Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS) also announced it would back efforts to shorten the current parliamentary term.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877708669772864/
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