MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 5 November 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 4 November): BRATISLAVA - 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. BRATISLAVA - The next general election could be held on 25 September 2027, and Smer-SD wants to act as a guarantor that it will take place at the regular time, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a press conference on Wednesday in connection with the current situation concerning the parliamentary majority. "I assume that 25 September is the date that is now beginning to emerge; it's probably the last Saturday on which we can organise the general election next year," he said. In an interview with TASR TV in October, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) confirmed that he was considering calling the next parliamentary elections for 25 September 2027, which seems the most likely option to him. He also said that it's the last possible date. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party will file a motion to dismiss Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), PS vice-chairpersons Ivan Korcok and Beata Jurík told a news conference on Wednesday, adding that all opposition parties have added their signatures to the motion. PS representatives cited several actions taken by the minister, which, in their view, have undermined Slovakia's interests on the international stage, as grounds for seeking his dismissal. "We'll submit the signatures in the next few days. Whether a session to dismiss Blanar is opened is in the hands of the coalition," stated Jurik. The party cited the elevation of the status of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Bratislava, an increase in the number of Russian diplomats in Slovakia and absences from important negotiations as the reasons for filing the motion to oust the minister. BRATISLAVA - The state is collecting more revenues from value-added tax (VAT) on fuel than it had planned, as it didn't anticipate that diesel would sell for €2 per litre when it drafted the state budget, the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party told a news conference on Wednesday, stating that a 10-cent increase in fuel prices per litre generates an additional €6 million in VAT revenues for the state each month. "The government is seeing a clear surplus in VAT revenues, but it's unwilling to give up even this extra revenue to help people to pay less," said MP Marian Viskupic (SaS), who thinks that VAT on fuel should be reduced to 15 percent. The party has also long been calling for excise duties to be cut to the minimum levels permitted under EU rules. According to SaS, such measures could reduce petrol prices by 30 cents per litre and diesel prices by some 16-20 cents per litre. MP Karol Galek (SaS) said that both petrol and diesel prices in Slovakia are the highest among the V4 countries. "You can find calculations online showing the distance - in terms of kilometres - that it's worth travelling for people living in border regions," said the MP, adding that in the case of Poland, the distance is up to 50 kilometres. He further calculated that while someone working in Slovakia can purchase 800 litres of diesel with the average salary, the equivalent figure in the Czech Republic is 1,200 litres. KOSICE - Part of the Act on Certain Measures to Improve the Security Situation in Slovakia, which Parliament passed in June 2024, is unconstitutional, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday. The 'Lex Assassination Attempt' was challenged before the Constitutional Court by a group of opposition MPs. Part of a provision concerning a municipality's power to ban an assembly is unconstitutional, decided the Constitutional Court, which dismissed the remainder of the MPs' challenge. The legislation introduced a provision into the Act on the Right of Assembly worded as follows: 'A local authority may ban an assembly if it is to take place in a location where the necessary restrictions associated with holding the assembly - in particular, restrictions on the right to privacy, restrictions on the peaceful use of one's home, restrictions on transport or restrictions on supplying, would be in serious conflict with the interests of the population, provided that the assembly can be held elsewhere without undue difficulty and without thereby thwarting the stated purpose of the assembly." TRENCIN - President Peter Pellegrini opened the presidential summit of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) in Trencin on Wednesday, welcoming his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel, Polish Head of State Karol Nawrocki and Hungarian President Andras Baka, TASR learnt from the Slovak President's Office. At the beginning, the heads of state met with the governors of the V4 countries' central banks, who presented them with conclusions and recommendations regarding the region's economic future. The participants in the discussion agreed that the future prosperity of Central Europe will increasingly depend on the countries' ability to develop the talents of their populations and respond to the changing needs of the labour market. "If we want the V4 countries to remain competitive and be able to catch up with Europe's most advanced economies, we must create the conditions for people to develop and use their potential at home," emphasised Pellegrini in this regard, adding that he also considers it to be important to create opportunities for young people and to make use of experience gained abroad. ko