MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 29 June 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 28 June): BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday, parliamentary vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) and Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka agreed on the need for a tougher criminal legislation following the recent murder of a woman in Gelnica by her husband after his release from prison. The debate also covered next year's state budget and the overall state of the country. Gaspar said he will fully support any legislative change that helps prevent similar crimes from happening again. He stressed the need to reduce the risk of such cases, noting that some former prisoners seek revenge after their release and that victims are not limited to spouses or domestic violence cases. He said the system must be improved and agreed that if failures occurred in the recent murder case, concrete measures should be taken against those responsible. Simecka said all politicians should apologise to Slovak women because the state continues to fail to protect them, describing the issue as a systemic problem. He announced that he will convene the parliamentary Human Rights Committee to address the matter. He also outlined proposals under preparation, including mandatory notification for women if an offender is released from prison in circumstances similar to the recent case, as well as providing them with appropriate protection. BRATISLAVA - The governing coalition wants to resolve a proposed amendment to postal voting from abroad during Parliament's September session and as part of the bill, the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) plans to introduce changes to the threshold for preferential voting in parliamentary elections, a move previously opposed by MPs associated with the extra-parliamentary Rural Party. Speaking on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, SNS parliamentary caucus leader Roman Michelko said the proposal could still be revised. "We are prepared to reduce the eight percent threshold for preferential votes even to three percent, but only if the number of preferential votes is cut to two," Michelko declared. He added that the Rural Party has also softened its position on the issue. Smer-SD parliamentary caucus leader Jan Richter said he expected the ministerial change to take place. He warned that Taraba's potential return to Parliament could create difficulties, in light of the coalition's slim majority. Michelko said he did not believe Taraba would support the current opposition if he returned to the House. Progressive Slovakia parliamentary caucus head Zuzana Mesterova said people in Slovakia have become hostages to disputes within the governing coalition, questioning whether the country did not face more pressing issues. KDH parliamentary caucus head Igor Janckulik said ordinary people were unconcerned about who served as minister and were instead dealing with the state of roads, railways and healthcare. BRATISLAVA - The coalition's Slovak National Party (SNS) will not support next year's state budget unless all pensioners aged over 90 receive a monthly pension of at least €824, according to the party's spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova. SNS pointed out that the average pension of 90-year-old pensioners currently stands at €560. Around 26,000 pensioners in Slovakia are aged 90 or over. "SNS will not approve the 2027 state budget unless Smer-SD and Voice-SD support its proposal for these pensioners to receive a pension of at least twice the minimum pension, amounting to a sum approaching €900," Skopcova added. MOJMIROVCE/BRATISLAVA - Prolonged drought, extremely high temperatures and increased water consumption have led to a shortage of drinking water in the villages of Mojmirovce and Svetoplukovo in the Nitra region. In some higher-lying parts of the villages, water from the public supply has already stopped flowing, Mojmirovce reported on its website on behalf of the Water Management Company (VSS) Mojmirovce. According to the statement, potable water supply is also being affected by the operation of the reservoir in Mocenok, which is managed by the ZVS Nitra utility. VSS is calling on residents to restrict the use of drinking water to essential needs until further notice. This mainly concerns watering gardens and lawns, filling swimming pools, washing cars and other non-essential uses. ko