Slovakia's ruling coalition is on the verge of collapse

On September 29, members of the Slovak Parliament voted to remove Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment Tomáš Taraba from office. This could lead to the collapse of the ruling coalition.

The decision was supported by both opposition lawmakers and the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS), whose leader, Andrej Danko, had been demanding Taraba’s resignation since the spring, amid a long-standing conflict with Prime Minister Robert Fico. According to the country’s constitution, following a vote of no confidence, the decision to dismiss a government official must be approved by President Peter Pellegrini.

Taraba’s removal poses an immediate risk of the coalition’s collapse, as the politician has hinted at his intention to form his own parliamentary faction, which would deprive Fico’s government of its majority in parliament. The SNS proposes appointing the current State Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, Filip Kuffa, as the new head of the ministry; however, President Pellegrini has previously questioned his professional qualifications and called for a more competent candidate to be found.

This was reported by TASR.

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