Fico Says Early Elections in Slovakia Could Come as Soon as January

Fico Says Early Elections Could Come in January

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has acknowledged that early parliamentary elections could be held as soon as January 2026 — a possible way out of the crisis within the ruling coalition sparked by the conflict between the SNS party and politician Tomáš Taraba, who is not formally a party member.

According to Fico, the fate of early elections "is not in his hands," and he wakes up every morning thinking they could well happen. "If you want to destroy everything, go ahead and destroy it. Unlike others, I'll be ready by January," the prime minister said, commenting on the rift between SNS and Taraba. He also did not rule out that the far-right Republika party could become a coalition partner if necessary.

A Call to Resolve the Conflict

In the end, Fico called on SNS leader Andrej Danko and Taraba to settle the dispute themselves. The prime minister confirmed he plans to meet with the country's president and intends to withdraw the proposal, submitted to him in mid-September, to dismiss Taraba from his post as environment minister. "I'll withdraw it, and let them do as they please," he added.

"They need to guarantee that the government can function, and if they can't do that, there will be early elections," Fico said. According to him, the Smer party is prepared to go into opposition if necessary: "Sometimes you have to go into opposition too," the prime minister stressed.

What Happens to Taraba's Seat in Parliament

According to Slovak media, after resigning as minister and returning to parliament, Taraba could join forces with several other politicians. This threatens to strip the ruling coalition of its current three-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament. Taraba himself told journalists that once he returns to parliament, he will act as an independent deputy.

Members of the Slovak government who are elected deputies do not exercise their parliamentary mandate while serving in the cabinet — their alternates from the party list sit in parliament instead. If a minister is forced to leave the government early and then takes up his parliamentary mandate, his alternate loses the seat in parliament.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz