MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 5 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 4 July): BRATISLAVA - After the counting of 95.38 percent of votes, the turnout in Saturday's referendum only reached 15.69 percent. The tenth referendum in the history of independent Slovakia will thus be invalid according to unofficial preliminary results. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini cast his vote in the Saturday referendum in the village of Kraliky (Banska Bystrica region), TASR has learnt from the President's Office's communications department. "As a citizen, a politician and a human being, I have my own opinion on today's referendum. But as head of state, I must respect this institution. Our Constitution also gives the citizens of the Slovak Republic the right to participate in the governance of public affairs directly, through a referendum, and I respect everyone's right to do so," said Pellegrini. BRATISLAVA - House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) took part in Saturday's referendum, casting his ballot in a polling station at Mudronova Primary School in Bratislava. Although he respects referendums, Rasi said that this one would be unsuccessful, viewing it as a political ploy. "I took part in the referendum out of respect for referendums, although this referendum was, in my opinion, doomed to failure since the very beginning and was nothing but a political calculation by its initiators," Rasi told journalists. "It cost us €11 million, since the basic question of shortening the electoral term couldn't be included in a referendum, as the Constitutional Court ruled that the electoral term can't be shortened by referendum. I think that the initiators must have known this in advance and misused the will of citizens, as I am positive that the main question was the shortening of the electoral term," said Rasi. "They should apologise to the citizens of Slovakia, since €11 million were wasted," he added. BRATISLAVA - Several opposition figures cast ballots in Saturday's referendum, including Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) leader Branislav Groehling, as well Jaroslav Nad, the leader of extra-parliamentary Democrats party, which initiated the referendum petition. Simecka voted in the village of Vychodna (Zilina region). "I came to vote in the referendum. This government needs to hear every signal of what we think about its destruction of the rule of law and elitism," Simecka has posted on social media. Groehling also criticised the current government on social media for the abuse of power and elitism. "The law must apply equally to everyone. The police and the prosecution service must have their hands free again. That's why I came to vote in the referendum," he said. Nad reminded people who the referendum is intended for. "The referendum is not about politicians. It is about whether citizens are still able to say 'enough is enough'. Whether we allow justice, responsibility and basic decency to be taken away from us, or whether we stand up for them. I stood up for all of this by voting in the referendum and I invite you to do the same," the Democrats leader has posted on social media, adding that the referendum is also for those "who are fed up with the fact that power primarily cares about itself". NITRA - The national pilgrimage to mark the 45th anniversary of the proclamation of Saints Cyril and Methodius as co-patrons of Europe took place on an unconventional date on Saturday, July 4, at Svatopluk Square in Nitra, with the participation of Slovak bishops and representatives of the country's political and public life. President Peter Pellegrini also attended the event to honour the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The principal celebrant of the solemn Holy Mass was Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Belgrade. In his homily, he stressed that the digital interconnection of today's world doesn't allow us to be concerned only with ourselves. "We are all connected through the internet, social media, information and artificial intelligence. This sometimes means that we are exposed to external influences, but at the same time it gives us a very important opportunity to share with the whole world what we believe in, what is important to us and what kind of world we would like to live in". BRATISLAVA - In a situation where the world order has collapsed and military force has become the only rule, small countries such as Slovakia must act in a very pragmatic and rational way, focusing on dialogue and a foreign policy in all four cardinal directions, Prime Minister Robert Fico said in an interview for TASR TV, adding that he is a prime minister with direct ties to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "I think we need to engage in normal dialogue with both of them," stated Fico, noting that he currently doesn't see sufficient willingness in the European Union (EU) to talk about ending the war, as the bloc seems to be leaning towards a 'peace through strength' approach. "But I don't believe in this, as this war has no military solution," added Fico. He criticised EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, saying that "it's clear that she doesn't have the capacity to conduct the kind of dialogue the EU needs today. But I must objectively say that in order to have the right to conduct dialogue, you need the support of member states. At this moment, however, there's no support for such dialogue," said Fico, adding that a politician serving as the EU's foreign affairs minister should possess greater informal authority than Kallas. ko