Early election
The Most-Híd coalition party has decided to leave the ruling coalition. It wants to agree with its coalition partners on holding an early election, to be held as soon as possible. Smer rejected an early election, but the coalition won’t have a majority in parliament without Most-Híd’s MPs. Smer and SNS only have the support of 64 of 150 MPs, plus 3-4 independents who tend to vote with them.
Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) announced he would step down in several days to calm the political situation. He would not say whether he is staying in politics. Police Chief Tibor Gašpar is staying in his post for now. The SNS party is ready for a discussion about changes in government and an early election, said its leader Andrej Danko.
Opposition parties SaS, OĽaNO, Sme rodina and Kotleba’s ĽSNS, as well as new parties Spolu and Progresívne Slovensko, are all for early election. Parliament needs 90 votes to call early election, or not be quorate for three months. The election’s date is unclear. The election can’t be called by the end of June, and politicians don’t like summer elections. The September date is too close to November municipal election. President Andrej Kiska favors the November date, but Most-Híd wants “much earlier” date. The current government will be in office until the early election.
