Monitor: President: Early Elections Not Imminent

(TA3, 'V politike', 29 June) Speaking on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, President Peter Pellegrini claimed that early parliamentary election is currently not under consideration and he views the recent critical statements by Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko toward coalition partners as political maneuvering aimed at consolidating SNS voter base. According to Pellegrini, the way Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and coalition leaders communicate does not indicate a collapse of the governing coalition. „I believe political parties intensely analyze the composition of their voter bases and regularly measure public sentiment. Based on that, they adjust their rhetoric. From what I observe in Andrej Danko’s recent statements and the issues he raises, it’s clear to me he's making an attempt to take over some political space and appeal to voters with more pro-Russian leanings,” Pellegrini noted. The President also stressed that the most significant political milestone will be the approval of the 2026 state budget. While he acknowledged that drafting the budget and potential changes to the transaction tax may cause friction within the coalition, he expressed confidence in the Prime Minister’s negotiation skills and ability to secure parliamentary support. Achieving a balanced budget, he said, is unrealistic: „After the financial disarray of recent years, it’s simply not possible.” The President said he expects changes to be implemented to the transaction tax. „I perceive that the transaction tax is receiving very negative reactions from Slovak society, and I believe the government is aware of this,” he stated. Pellegrini welcomed the fact that the government is not consolidating at the expense of people's quality of life. He argued that under current legislation, there are limited opportunities for significant savings in state operations, and called for broader reform of public administration. Regarding the proposed amendment to the Slovak Constitution —set to be decided by Parliament in September — Pellegrini said he has no objections. While he acknowledged that value and cultural issues have importance, he downplayed the urgency of the amendment: „If it fails now and passes in six months or a year, nothing will happen to Slovakia. Food won’t become cheaper, vegetables won’t cost less, and the economy won’t grow any faster.” If the amendment's passage hinges on the vote of MP Jan Ferencak (Voice-SD), Pellegrini - the honorary chair of Voice-SD - emphasized that the responsibility would lie with the individual, not with the Voice party. The President said he hopes the government will revisit the petition legislation in the autumn. He pointed out that he had sent a letter to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) urging a review of the current legislation to eliminate potential fraud in signature collection. He received a verbal response that the ministry would take up the issue, and Pellegrini said he hopes a proposal will be prepared during the summer — either to amend the petition law or the Criminal Code to treat forgery of petitions or signatures as a criminal offense. Finally, he expressed his openness to a debate on electoral system reform. While acknowledging that Slovakia has too many political parties and coalition-building is difficult, he insisted on a broad public debate. „Not some lone MP secretly pushing it through in fast-track legislative procedure. I would personally object to that,” he said, adding that any changes to the electoral system must not undermine democratic principles or the right to stand for election. mf