Pro-Russian Fico government faces collapse as Slovakia debates early elections
Photo: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Getty Images)
Early government elections are being discussed in Slovakia due to a crisis within Prime Minister Robert Fico's ruling coalition. The trigger was the dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba, according to Reuters.
Along with the opposition, lawmakers from the Slovak National Party (SNS)—which is part of the governing coalition and had previously nominated him for the post—voted for Taraba's dismissal.
This situation has called the survival of the government into question approximately a year before the scheduled parliamentary elections.
A total of 77 lawmakers voted for Taraba's dismissal. All 77 parliamentarians present in the chamber during the vote supported his removal, while 73 others were absent.
Fico's coalition currently controls only 78 of the 150 seats and relies on the support of a few loyal independent lawmakers.
Fico raises possibility of early elections
Following the vote, Fico stated that he would convene the leadership of his Smer-SD party on September 30 to determine the next steps.
"What the Slovak National Party did today compels Smer-SD to convene the party leadership tomorrow at 5:00 PM and make a decision on further actions," NewsNow quoted the prime minister as saying.
Taraba scandal
The conflict surrounding Taraba has been ongoing for several months. Although he was an SNS nominee, the minister's relationship with the party leadership deteriorated sharply.
SNS leader Andrej Danko stated that there had been no meaningful dialogue with Taraba for a long time, particularly regarding important documents and decisions of the Environment Ministry.
The party also did not want to bear political responsibility for a number of the ministry's areas of work—from zoning and wind farms to battery plants, pumped-storage hydroelectric stations, and other projects.
Taraba himself insisted that there were no grounds for his dismissal and that he was effectively being fired for properly performing his duties.
Back in May, Taraba, Fico, and Danko reached an agreement: if the conflict between the minister and the SNS was not resolved, he would leave the government by the end of September. However, he stated that he had no intention of resigning voluntarily.
On the eve of the recent vote, Fico withdrew his own proposal to dismiss Taraba, which he had previously submitted to President Peter Pellegrini. The prime minister explained this by the need to preserve the parliamentary majority and prevent further destabilization of the government.
The SNS disagreed with this decision and ultimately supported the opposition's initiative to dismiss Taraba in parliament.
Crisis could have much broader consequences
Fico has previously raised the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections in January 2027 if the coalition conflict cannot be resolved. However, shortening the parliament's term would require a qualified majority of lawmakers.
At the same time, the collapse of the current government would not automatically trigger elections, as the Slovak constitutional system allows for attempts to form a different cabinet. Fico could also try to reformat the current coalition.
Meanwhile, Michal Šimečka, leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia party, called early elections the only way out of the situation following the vote.
He stated that the party would push for them to be held as soon as possible and called on Fico to resign.
As is well known, Robert Fico is known for his pro-Russian stance. For example, among a number of statements and decisions, Fico stated that for the sake of peace in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must personally call Russian leader Putin if he is interested in negotiations.
