Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his government could lose its parliamentary majority because of a conflict within the Slovak National Party (SNS), which is part of the ruling coalition, Reuters reports.
The dispute centres on Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, who was nominated to the government by the SNS. Party leader Andrej Danko is demanding that he be replaced.
Taraba, for his part, hinted that if he leaves the government he could form a new parliamentary group together with other representatives of the coalition. Under such a scenario, Fico’s government could lose its parliamentary majority. At present, its advantage over the opposition is only three votes in the 150-seat parliament.
“This personnel decision by the SNS will lead to the loss of the parliamentary majority,” Fico said.
The prime minister urged Danko and Taraba to provide guarantees that the majority would be preserved, and said he was ready to withdraw the motion to dismiss the minister if the sides manage to reach an agreement.
The conflict between the SNS and Taraba has been going on for several months. Earlier, Danko demanded that he be replaced by another party representative.
At the same time, the internal dispute within the coalition could have broader political consequences. If the government loses the support of a majority of MPs, it could become a minority government. Early elections are also possible if parliament takes the relevant decision.
- In recent years, Robert Fico has opposed parts of EU and NATO policy towards Russia and supports maintaining relations with Moscow.
- In the summer, ahead of the July NATO summit in Ankara, Fico spoke out against financial aid to Ukraine and said Slovakia would not pay for Ukraine’s military costs.
- On 8 May, the Slovak prime minister visited Moscow, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.