Office Receives Democrats' Petition, President Will Decide within Deadline

Bratislava, 23 March (TASR) - The President's Office has received a petition from the Democrats party calling for a referendum, the communications department of the office told TASR on Monday, adding that President Peter Pellegrini will make a decision before the statutory deadline. "The President's Office has received a petition from the Democrats party. The authenticity of the signatures will be verified, and the president will issue a statement before the statutory deadline," said spokesperson for the head of state Patricia Medved Macikova. The extra-parliamentary Democrats party is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). It handed over more than 384,000 signatures collected to President Peter Pellegrini to declare a referendum on shortening the current government's term. The referendum aims to bring the current government's term to an early end, to reinstate the Special Prosecutor's Office and the National Crime Agency, and to scrap Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) lifetime annuity. The party suggests that the referendum should be held on 27 June 2026. am/df