Slovakia: September election likely after failed referendum
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Loading... - Lenka Chovan
- 15 Feb 2023
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Caretaker Prime Minister Eduard Heger has been unable gain a new majority in parliament and plans to call an early election this fall. Some fear the result could threaten liberal democracy in Slovakia.
The government of Prime Minister Eduard Heger was toppled by Slovakia's parliament last December when 78 out of 150 MPs backed a motion of no confidence in the government. Since then, Heger, of the center-right OLANO party (ORDINARY PEOPLE and Independent Personalities), has been leading the country in a caretaker capacity and negotiating with parties in an attempt to find a new majority.
But it was Richard Sulik, leader of one of his previous coalition partners, the Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS), who abruptly put an end to Heger's efforts early last week by announcing that he would not support the PM's attempt to form a new cabinet.
"As of today, I consider all my efforts to rebuild the coalition over," said Heger at a media briefing last week. "I will meet my political partners and discuss the subject of an early election with them. Right now, the most probable date is September."
Referendum on calling early elections
In a bid to lower the number of votes needed from MPs to call an early election from 90 to 76, the Social Democratic Smer party, one of the strongest opposition parties in the country, triggered a referendum on whether the Slovak constitution should be amended to allow an election to be held before the end of the four-year parliamentary term.
Even though the caretaker government had already agreed to an early election, Smer's leader, Robert Fico, argued that an election should be held much earlier than September. "The coalition is only giving us another nine months of its incompetence," he said in a statement. Read More…
