MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 23 March 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 22 March): BRATISLAVA - The coalition Voice–SD party and its parliamentary caucus have stabilised following the expulsion of MP Jan Ferencak, Interior Minister and party leader Matus Sutaj Estok said on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday. Opposition's Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) vice-chair Viliam Karas, also on the show, said the government is weak and unable to respond adequately to current global threats. "I believe Voice-SD is a stabilised party with our parliamentary caucus, which is fully prepared to support the government's Manifesto, our programme within Voice, and we will simply keep fighting, because we still have goals to achieve during this electoral term," Sutaj Estok said. Karas, however, believes the coalition will not push through any major measures during the current term. "They will hope to somehow patch together the budget. But essentially, they will not address anything else, and we'll only witness another decline in the standard of living and the rise of chaos in the state. This is merely a consequence of the weak political strength of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD)," he said. BRATISLAVA - Bonuses for work performed during the scrapped public holidays on 8 May and 15 September will cost the state about 10 million euros, Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) stated on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday. "Work on days that were previously public holidays should bring some profit to the employer. Therefore, the employer should be willing to pay those bonuses. It will also cost the state something. Yes, it will cost money, we are talking about an amount of around 10 million euros. On the other hand, we say that when we abolished a public holiday for people, they should be entitled, and I am referring to public administration, to bonuses. When people have more money, they will spend more and the economy will perform better," said the finance minister. Kamenicky rejected rumours, according to which he might get the position of governor of the Slovak Central Bank and that a government reshuffle could take place. BRATISLAVA - NATO has withdrawn Slovak soldiers from the international mission in Iraq due to the current security situation. The soldiers have been transported back to Slovakia by an aircraft of the Slovak Defence Ministry, the Slovak Armed Forces reported on social media. "The withdrawal of personnel from the mission does not mean its end. It is only a response to the current security situation in the area. We are adjusting our position in the mission in Iraq in response to ongoing developments in the global security architecture. We are continuously assessing the situation in close coordination with our allies. Intensive dialogue with the Iraqi government and its security forces will also continue," the army stated. According to the Slovak Armed Forces, the mission in Iraq will continue as a non-combat, advisory and capacity-building operation. It will keep helping Iraq build stability and prevent the return of terrorist activities. BRATISLAVA - The junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) is disappointed that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) did not block a €90-billion European loan for Ukraine together with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as it believes that after the "threats" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joining the Hungarian position would have been more than a political gesture, TASR learnt from party spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova. "SNS was convinced that Robert Fico, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, would do so. However, we believe he will take up the baton if Viktor Orban is not successful in the elections and will in the future act on behalf of Slovakia in such a way that Ukraine is not supported unless it starts behaving properly towards members of the European Union," Skopcova said. ko