The Slovak opposition is set to submit a no-confidence motion against the government of Robert Fico to the parliament in the coming days, according to Michal Šimečka, the chairman of the pro-European Progressive Slovakia party, at a press conference. Šimečka elaborated, saying, “Instead of being at home and working on solving problems, he’s flying around the world and bowing to dictators.”
As noted by the Slovak portal Aktuality.sk, the entire parliamentary opposition has agreed on the issue of Fico’s resignation, with opposition MPs primarily dissatisfied with the Slovak prime minister’s foreign policy, which, in their view, is isolating Bratislava from its European partners.
According to Šimečka, at least four additional MPs from parties that are part of the ruling coalition are also critical of Fico’s foreign policy. For a no-confidence vote against the Slovak government, the votes of at least 76 of the 150 MPs in the Slovak parliament are required.
Yesterday, a Slovak delegation led by Andrej Danko, the deputy speaker of the Slovak parliament and chairman of the Slovak National Party (SNS), visited Moscow. As Danko noted, this was intended to restore relations with Russia and continue the dialogue initiated by Fico.
The Slovak prime minister has repeatedly spoken out against military aid to Ukraine and emphasized that he does not support the country’s membership in NATO and would use his veto power if such a question were to be raised.
Fico visited Moscow on December 22, 2024, and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The prime minister described his visit to Russia as a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement on the suspension of Russian gas transit to Europe. The Ukraine conflict was one of the topics of the meeting, with the Kremlin reporting that it was Fico’s first visit to Moscow since 2016.
On January 12, the Slovak prime minister announced that he would use his veto power against EU aid to Ukraine if the talks on the resumption of gas transit through Ukrainian territory fail to produce a result.