Fico urges SNS leader and environment minister to guarantee parliamentary majority

Prime Minister Robert Fico has called on Slovak National Party leader Andrej Danko and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba to confirm that the coalition will continue to hold a parliamentary majority. He simultaneously asked the president to allow more time before deciding on a possible replacement of the environment minister. Fico stated that if he cannot secure guarantees for the government's normal functioning, he will pull the proposal to dismiss Taraba and address the issue through standard constitutional channels.

He emphasized that neither he nor his party Smer will be blackmailed or bear responsibility for any coalition partner’s failures. While acknowledging SNS’s contractual right to demand a ministerial change, Fico warned that removing Taraba could lead to the loss of the majority. The dispute follows Taraba’s recent comments suggesting the coalition would lose its majority if he returns to parliament, and rumors of State Secretary Radomír Šalitroš re-entering the National Council.