Rasi to Table Mayoral Term Extension Bill in April

Bratislava, 22 February (TASR) - A proposal to extend the electoral term of mayors, regional governors and local councils from four to five years will be submitted to Parliament at the session starting on 14 April, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) has told TASR. A constitutional majority will be required for the change, but Rasi believes it can be secured. "A five-year electoral cycle for local authorities can only be valid following an amendment to the constitutional law and will apply to candidates elected in the October 2026 elections. I believe we'll find constitutional agreement for this change from a four-year to a five-year electoral cycle. We're going to submit the proposal to the parliamentary session starting on 14 April 2026, and I believe it will pass the entire legislative process and gain the support of a constitutional majority of MPs," Rasi said. The coalition's Slovak National Party has indicated it will support the proposal, although it had initially sought to extend the electoral term to six years. The head of the Slovak National Party parliamentary caucus, Roman Michelko, described the five-year term as a compromise. "It is necessary to have a constitutional majority, which means the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) must join the coalition. In that case, it would be realistic, so we will see. It also has to be addressed at the next session in order to be adopted before the election," Michelko told TASR. Joint elections to municipal authorities and to regional self-government bodies are slated for 24 October. Elections of representatives in towns, municipalities and self-governing regions will again be held on the same day. mf