Slovak opposition party to back Taraba dismissal if motion filed

Roman Mikulec, a lawmaker for Hnutie Slovensko, said on Sunday that his party will vote to dismiss Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba, an SNS nominee, if a removal motion is brought before the National Council of the Slovak Republic.¹²³⁴

Opposition coordination

Mikulec, speaking on the Joj 24 programme Politika 24, said several opposition party leaders are coordinating with Hnutie Slovensko chairman Igor Matovič, naming KDH chairman Milan Majerský and SaS chairman Branislav Gröhling among them.¹²³⁴

He said Hnutie Slovensko is ready for elections and for achieving the best possible result, and that it regards Demokrati as a potential partner after any future vote. He said cooperation with László Gubík, leader of Maďarská aliancia, was not something the party could envisage. Mikulec also said no government without Smer could be formed without Hnutie Slovensko.¹²³⁴

Criticism of Fico and Žilinka

Mikulec condemned attacks by Prime Minister Robert Fico on General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka and rejected pressure being placed on him. He said Hnutie Slovensko has no personal relationship with Žilinka and has itself criticised him, but according to Mikulec the party never asked Žilinka to resign or leave for Ukraine, a claim that is disputed. He called Fico a traitor and said convening the security council makes no sense while Fico sits on it.¹²³

Security reports

According to reports cited by Slovak outlets, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said two Bulgarians detained after a 3 September arson attack in Munich belonged to a group linked to Russia's GRU; this account is disputed by one outlet. Media reports say the group operated from Slovakia and had also planned a thwarted attack on a drone factory near Prešov. Mikulec suggested the information reported by German media may not be as false as Pavol Gašpar, head of the Slovak Information Service, has said, a claim that remains disputed.¹³²

Separately, Denník N reported that Mikulec described possible GRU involvement in a prepared sabotage at the Skyeton plant near Prešov as a serious security risk, and said Slovakia is facing a full-scale hybrid war. He also criticised Fico's relationship with Russia.⁷

Fico's response and election talk

Robert Fico said in the TA3 programme V politike that he is withdrawing the proposal to dismiss Taraba from the President's Office and wants to meet President Peter Pellegrini, according to one report. He said Smer would have enough votes with the opposition for early elections and that a proposal to shorten the electoral term would be filed in parliament. Fico said he is ready, unlike Taraba, Andrej Danko and Hlas, to go to early elections in January, and that Smer is prepared to be in opposition. He said cooperation with Republika would not trouble Smer.²⁷

Fico said Danko and Taraba must provide guarantees, framing the dispute as a matter of personal animosity, and warned that without guarantees early elections would follow. Denník N reported that Fico admitted early elections could come in January 2027 if the SNS dispute with Taraba threatens the government's functioning, and that he did not rule out future cooperation between Smer and Republika.²⁷

Parliamentary arithmetic

According to Joj 24, Taraba's potential return to parliament after leaving the ministry could alter the chamber's numbers, with attention also on Hlas lawmaker Peter Slyško and state secretary Radomír Šalitroš over possible support and a parliamentary return. Analysts cited by the programme said that if the arrangement of seats changes after Taraba's and other lawmakers' return, the governing coalition could lose its majority.⁵

Pandemic-era reflection

Asked about his time as interior minister, Mikulec said his biggest mistake was failing to persuade Matovič to reach terms with Richard Sulík, who boycotted measures approved during the pandemic, a boycott that had serious consequences for people.¹²³⁴