Slovak Opposition Says It Is Ready for Early Elections

Slovak opposition parties said on September 27, 2026 they are prepared for early parliamentary elections, responding to Prime Minister Robert Fico, who raised the possibility of a January vote amid a coalition crisis over a no-confidence motion against Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba.¹²⁵

Fico raises January vote

Robert Fico said he was ready to hold early elections in January and would submit a proposal for a constitutional law to shorten the parliamentary term as a way to resolve the coalition crisis. He also said he planned to meet President Peter Pellegrini to ask that a Taraba recall proposal he had himself submitted be withdrawn.²¹⁵³

Sources noted that if elections were held in January, Slovakia would likely enter a budget provisional regime, since a new budget could not be adopted before a change of government. It was also reported that Fico currently lacks the 76 votes in the National Council needed for a governing majority, and that he cannot blame coalition partners for the situation.⁵³⁴

Opposition declares readiness

Progresívne Slovensko, led by Michal Šimečka, said it guarantees 33 votes in favour of early elections as soon as possible. Šimečka urged the prime minister to move ahead with early elections as soon as possible, calling that the best course for Slovakia, and argued that Taraba lacks both a parliamentary majority and lawmakers' confidence — a claim he said should be put to a vote. According to Info.sk, Progresívne Slovensko has 33 parliamentary deputies.⁵³⁶

Hnutie Slovensko said its parliamentary club is ready to vote for early elections this year, not only in January 2027. MP Gábor Grendel said, "Poďme do predčasných volieb čím skôr. My sme pripravení, schôdza beží, stačí predložiť návrh," and added, "Čím skôr táto vláda skončí, tým lepšie pre celú krajinu." He also criticised Fico for appearing to submit the Taraba recall proposal only to then threaten to withdraw it.⁵⁶⁴

SaS described Fico's proposal on elections as comic and called on him to resign if he does not have 76 votes in parliament. Veronika Remišová of Za ľudí called for Fico's immediate departure, saying, "Jeho odchod je nevyhnutným krokom k tomu, aby sa zastavilo ďalšie ničenie Slovenska." Milan Uhrík, chair of the extra-parliamentary Republika party, said his party is prepared for early elections if the government collapses.²¹⁵⁴

Coalition tensions over Taraba

Progresívne Slovensko said it plans to file a procedural motion in the National Council to prioritise the no-confidence vote on Taraba, which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, at 17:00. The dispute over the minister has centred on Andrej Danko, chair of the SNS, who nominated Taraba.⁵³⁴⁶

Not all coalition figures back an early vote. Erik Tomáš, deputy chair of Hlas-SD and labour minister, said his party has no interest in early elections and wants to finish work it has promised, citing what it has achieved in the social area. He described Fico's remarks as pressure on coalition partners and said he expects Danko and Taraba to reach an agreement, adding, "Strana Hlas-SD nechce predčasné voľby, pretože ešte chce doriešiť a presadiť posledné veci."¹²