Slovakia took a step closer toward early general elections which may end the political turmoil that’s embroiled the eastern European nation for the past year and triggered the government’s collapse last month.
The country of 5.4 million will likely head to the polls on Sept. 30, interim Prime Minister Eduard Heger said after negotiations with former ruling partners in Bratislava on Sunday evening.
Heger’s government fell in a December vote of no confidence amid a failure by the ruling parties to agree on measures to curb the impact of an energy crisis and surging inflation. President Zuzana Caputova has said she will let Heger’s caretaker administration remain in place with limited powers until the election.
Opinion polls show two parties led by former prime ministers, Peter Pellegrini and Robert Fico, as the most popular groups. While front-runner Pellegrini has been ambiguous on his stance on mainstream European Union issues, Fico — a three-time premier who was forced to step down in 2018 after the murder of a journalist investigating corruption — has vowed to stop weapons deliveries to Ukraine and pursue policies similar to Viktor Orban’s in Hungary.
To trigger a national vote, lawmakers will need to amend the constitution to shorten their term, which may happen at the parliamentary session starting on Jan. 24. Caputova said if legislators don’t approve the necessary changes by the end of January, she will revoke the government’s mandate and appoint a Cabinet of technocrats.
