MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 5 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 4 January): BRATISLAVA - The European Union has the power to do something in order to remedy the violation of international law in the case of Venezuela, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated in a video posted on a social network on Sunday, adding that there's not much Slovakia can do besides expressing its clear positions. "In terms of population, the EU is substantially larger than the United States. It's also extremely strong economically. If it were to use this potential properly, its voice would be very strong and would in many cases help to remedy the blatant ignoring of international law," said Fico, adding that firm stances could have a strong preventive effect and deter those "tempted by adventures on the international stage". He stated that he's been calling for many years for the EU to pursue its own foreign policy and break free from U.S. influence. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, relations between the EU and the United States shouldn't have been based on superiority and inferiority, but on mutually beneficial cooperation. BRATISLAVA - Only members of the Slovak National Party (SNS) will appear on its slate for the next general election, head of the SNS parliamentary caucus Roman Michelko said in an interview with TASR, adding that SNS leader Andrej Danko is expected to be listed in the first position. Prominent public figures could also be included, unless they're part of their own political entities. If, roughly half a year before the election, there's a risk that the party wouldn't enter parliament on its own, forming a pre-election coalition could be an option as well, said Michelko, stressing that the SNS definitely wouldn't take small parties on board anymore. However, independent and well-known public figures, who decide to join the SNS, could still be included in the list. According to Michelko, internal discussions regarding a decline in voter support have been ongoing in the SNS for a long time. The party wants to draw up a programme that will be sufficiently attractive to voters. "We realise that we're on the edge and that we must do everything to cross the five-percent threshold," added Michelko. BRATISLAVA - Leader of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party Branislav Groehling has said in an end-of-year interview with TASR that he's not currently dealing with the slate for the next general election, but he wants it to be an expert-based and decent alternative to the current government. "I'll strive to draw up the slate in a way that will make it an expert-based and decent alternative to this government. I want a group of people who will represent SaS's new story. However, I'm not dealing with the slate at the moment, as I believe that there are much more important problems. We need to address restarting the economy, legal certainty and how to approach social issues and security," he told TASR. When asked about his opinion on potentially merging with other parties, Groehling recalled that his party already cooperates with those that share the same vision within the Centre-right Bloc initiative founded by SaS. BUDAPEST - Leader of Hungary's extra-parliamentary opposition Tisza party Peter Magyar expressed gratitude on Facebook on Sunday to the young people who organised Saturday's (3 January) protest in front of the Slovak Embassy in Budapest against the new Slovak law protecting the post-WWII Benes Decrees, TASR has learnt from its Budapest correspondent. Magyar's Tisza party is the main political rival to ruling Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the 2026 Hungarian general election to be held in April. "It was good to see that everyone except the Fidesz party felt it was important to send a joint message to Orban's friend in Slovakia [Prime Minister] Robert Fico that, in the 21st century in the EU, it's unacceptable to threaten people with prison for expressing their opinion," stated Magyar. ko