Slovak PM Fico’s party calls on coalition to end disputes as government frays

Sept 30 (Reuters) – Slovakia’s main ruling party Smer-SSD said on Wednesday that maintaining the government’s majority required a large effort and called on partners to keep internal disputes out of policy.

The comments came after a junior party in the leftist-nationalist coalition on Tuesday voted with the parliamentary opposition to dismiss a minister, raising questions about the survival of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government a year before an election.

• “Smer-SSD calls upon its governing partners to engage in responsible governance,” the party said in a statement after a meeting of its leaders on Wednesday evening.

• Fico has raised the possibility of an early election, which would require the approval of a supermajority in parliament.

• The government’s majority is under threat after parliament voted to dismiss Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, who has fallen out with the leadership of his far-right Slovak National Party, a junior member of the coalition.

• The three-party government has been dependent on several loyal independents to control 78 seats in the 150-strong parliament.

• Smer-SSD called on coalition partners to approve a realistic 2027 budget, and said the country could not afford temporary fixes or a minority government at this time, given geopolitical challenges, including conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

• “What Slovakia needs today is simply a stable government capable of making decisions, even if it relies on only a slim parliamentary majority,” Fico’s party said.

• Slovakia under Fico has diverged from European Union and NATO allies by keeping warm relations with Russia and continuing to import Russian oil and gas.

• Opinion polls show the ruling parties may lose power in an election.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Alex Richardson)