SNS Sets September 30 Deadline for Environment Minister Taraba to Quit

The Slovak National Party (SNS) has called on Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba to resign by September 30, saying he promised Prime Minister Robert Fico and SNS chairman Andrej Danko he would step down on that date, and warning it will seek his recall in parliament if he fails to do so.¹²

SNS said in a statement that Taraba must honour the commitment he made to Fico and Danko to leave office on September 30, and that the party would pursue his dismissal through parliament should he not resign voluntarily.¹²

According to Info.sk, Danko issued a public ultimatum reiterating the September 30 deadline and warning of a parliamentary recall vote if Taraba stays in post. Danko was quoted as saying there was no reason to prolong political uncertainty once a minister has promised to resign and the prime minister has set a specific date for his departure.³

Danko also accused Fico of breaching the coalition agreement by taking control of ministerial nominations that SNS says belong exclusively to the party, according to Info.sk. Danko claimed Taraba, along with another minister, Rudolf Huliak, had effectively become a Smer-SD appointee through Fico's negotiations, and said individual Hlas lawmakers were being allowed to pressure the prime minister over ministerial posts. He described the episode as the second serious breach of the coalition agreement by Fico, according to Info.sk; none of these claims have been independently confirmed.³

Info.sk also reported that Fico intends to withdraw his own proposal for Taraba's recall and has scheduled a meeting with President Petr Pellegrini, reportedly for Monday, to that end. The outlet said Fico had additionally raised the possibility of preparing constitutional legislation for early elections in January, should the political standoff continue.³

iDen.sk reported that Danko announced, on September 26, his intention to pursue Taraba's removal through parliament even if Fico withdraws his own dismissal proposal. The outlet said Danko has signalled openness to support from opposition parties, including Progressive Slovakia, which is reportedly preparing to file its own motion against Taraba. Danko was also reported to have accused Taraba of using contacts with former personnel of the Slovak Intelligence Service to intimidate opponents, an allegation that has not been independently verified.⁴