Smer-SSD warns coalition fractures could jeopardise Fico's slim majority

Smer-SSD warned that maintaining the governing majority will require considerable effort and asked coalition allies to avoid internal conflicts that could stall legislation. The appeal came after the Slovak National Party, a junior partner in the nationalist bloc, supported the opposition’s motion to remove Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba, eroding the coalition’s parliamentary edge. Formed after the September 2023 elections, the pro-Kremlin government of Robert Fico includes Smer-SSD, Hlas led by President Peter Pellegrini, and the far-right SNS, relying on a handful of independents to hold 78 of 150 seats.

Smer-SSD stressed the need for a credible 2027 budget and warned that a temporary or minority administration would be unsustainable given the war in Ukraine and Middle-East crises. Fico, speaking to medical students in Prešov, reiterated his desire to keep Slovakia out of any NATO-triggered conflict. Recent polls show steep declines for all governing parties, raising the prospect of a snap election that could usher in a pro-EU coalition.