Murder, corruption allegations as well as plagiarism. What will we remember about the outgoing coalition?

The coalition that emerged as the dam against extremism departs.

Left to right: Andrej Danko (SNS), Robert Fico (Smer), Béla Bugár (Most-Híd)Left to right: Andrej Danko (SNS), Robert Fico (Smer), Béla Bugár (Most-Híd) (Source: Sme)

The coalition of Smer, SNS and Most-Híd is definitely over now. What were the moments that marked its term in office?

Many observers did not expect Smer to be able to form a government when they won the 2016 election, but with much lower support than in 2012. After four years of a single-party government, they were forced to go back to the model Slovakia had known before, a ruling coalition composed of several parties.

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Smer succeeded in persuading Most-Híd and the Slovak National Party (SNS) to join in a coalition. This required some changes in rhetoric. SNS, for example, claimed ahead of the election that they would not rule with the Hungarian party.

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Related story: Coalition now a club of three Read more 

At the beginning, there were four. The small party of Sieť belonging to the once-hopeful presidential candidate Radoslav Procházka was practically wiped out just months after the election. Smer, Most-Híd and SNS went on to rule as a coalition trio.

Of the 15 ministers installed in the cabinet when it first emerged, only five finished the four-year term – Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, Economy Minister Peter Žiga, Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná, Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš and Labour Minister Ján Richter.

The government has been through a number of scandals. Here are some of the highlights that history will remember:

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