Smer-SD Congress: Prime Minister Fico Sees No Reason for Snap Election

Bratislava, 11 October (TASR) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Smer-SD leader said at his party's working congress in Bratislava on Saturday that he sees no reason for an early parliamentary election, and he believes that the approval of next year's state budget is one of the key prerequisites for political stability. According to Fico, this message should also be adopted by the party's congress, adding that Smer-SD aims to win the 2027 general election. "There are no reasons or alternatives for general election to be held sooner than the regular term in 2027. One of the basic prerequisites for such a stable scenario is the approval of the 2026 state budget," stated Fico, adding that Smer-SD is the most stable component of the current coalition. He criticised public opinion polls in Slovakia, saying that he has never commented and will not comment on polls, but "it is unacceptable for anyone to just put out whatever comes to mind". Fico also supports moving the municipal and regional elections to 2027, saying it would be best for all of Slovakia. He called on the Slovak Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS) and the Self-governing Regions Association SK8 to consider this suggestion, adding that if consensus is reached, parliament could adopt the necessary legislative changes. He described the adoption of the 2026 state budget as a priority, noting that parliament could start debating it as early as next Tuesday. He declined to comment on Smer-SD MPs' strategy, and recalled that the debate cannot be shortened in this case. As regards the consolidation of public finances, Fico said it was "dirty work" that had to be done after the previous government, confirming that consolidation effort would have to continue even in 2026, in particular with measures aimed at improving tax collection and combating tax evasion. If the budget is approved within a reasonable timeframe, he said the coalition could spend November and December discussing next year's tax policies and the streamlining of state administration. According to Fico, the issue of streamlining means asking simple questions by the end of this year: "Should we merge the Public Procurement Authority with the Antimonopoly Office into one authority, for example, the Economic Competition Office? Are we ready to talk about other central government bodies where we could save money and make the public administration more efficient?" In his address at the congress, he also said there is no reason to reappoint Peter Kazimir as governor of Slovakia's central bank NBS, sending a message to Kazimir that if he feels offended by this, "there has been enough of betrayal already". He added that the post belongs to the coalition Voice-SD party, which he respects. jrg