PM Fico: We Must Do Everything We Can to Complete Electoral Term

Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - It's the duty of the government and Parliament to do everything possible to complete the current electoral term, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a press conference on Wednesday, adding that greater attention will need to be paid to individual MPs when discussing which bills will or will not be passed. According to Fico, Smer-SD's parliamentary caucus is stable, whereas its coalition partners, the Slovak National Party (SNS) and Voice-SD, are responsible for the current situation concerning the parliamentary majority, as they've failed in the process of drawing up their slates and their caucuses have fallen apart. "Looking at the government manifesto, I can say that, in terms of the government's legislative initiatives, we've practically completed everything that we needed to deliver under [it]. But life may well bring us some new issues that will need to be addressed, including via amendments to legislation," said Fico. He stated that the departure of Voice-SD and SNS MPs is entirely the responsibility of those parties, but they don't want to deal with the matter. "We're going to deal with this, and we want to guarantee that the two major constitutional bodies, the Slovak government and Parliament, will manage all processes, perhaps with difficulties but with Smer-SD as a firm bedrock of stability, so that the [next] general election will take place as scheduled," said Fico. Smer-SD caucus chairman Jan Richter stressed that Smer-SD will continue as a stable caucus and that nobody is planning to leave. "I guarantee that we'll complete this electoral term," he said. Richter stated that Smer-SD intends to continue communicating with its coalition partners SNS and Voice-SD, as well as with the groups surrounding Tourism and Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak (Independent) and former environment minister Tomas Taraba (Independent). "Nevertheless, I can't rule out the possibility that some laws might not be approved," added Richter, drawing attention to 60 bills that could be passed in Parliament in order to take effect as of 1 January 2027. "This is a challenge not only for our caucus but for the entire governing coalition. I'm convinced that if our coalition partners act in this manner and follow the example of several forms and methods applied by us, we'll be able to complete our term and fulfil the government manifesto to the letter," said Richter. jrg/df