It is still unclear what will be the future political development in Slovakia after last week’s fall of the government, with the state budget still not being approved.
Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár confirmed he is holding negotiations with representatives with all parties to resolve the situation after the government's fall. "I must collect all arguments from all the parties," he said. Former three-time PM and Smer-SD head Robert Fico is calling for an agreement on a snap general election as soon as possible. However, he admitted he does not believe in this ideal scenario. There are also voices in favour of the government's reconstruction coming from the currently largest party in the parliament OĽaNO and also Sloboda a Solidarita, which initiated the no confidence vote.
If the parties fail to come to agreement on the election, a caretaker government appointed by President Zuzana Čaputová will become a reality, which, however, would need to be approved by the Parliament. However, no party, and not even the president expressed desire for this scenario. Fico pointed to the fact that if Parliament fails to agree on a snap election, people could take part in the January referendum. He added that Smer-SD is ready to support the state budget in the event of approval of the constitutional amendment and agreement on early elections.
Kollár stressed that the approval of the budget is a priority for him. "We have to put aside scrapes, people must be sure that the announced aid will reach them," he pointed out. According to OĽaNO caucus head Michal Šipoš, the party will subordinate all possible development scenarios following the government's fall to approval of the state budget and help to people to cope with impacts of the energy crisis. "If the budget is approved, anything is possible," said Šipoš.
According to acting Prime Minister Eduard Heger, another struggle for the character of Slovakia is starting right now. In the near future, he wants to present a vision of how to return hope to Slovakia and its citizens that "this is a country for the good life."
Source: TASR
