SNS leader Andrej Danko (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
Dear Mr Prime Minister,
I was surprised to receive your letter, which is filled with a technocratic approach devoid of any empathy—something that politics inherently requires. I have noted your newfound fondness for public letters, though I regret that these matters are not being resolved privately.
Our political parties have cooperated for many years, yet I believe the way you have chosen to address the coalition crisis constitutes a serious breach of the coalition agreement.
Our party, the Slovak National Party (SNS), has helped you become prime minister three times, and each time, you have used us and then nearly destroyed us. Even in forming this government, SNS made concessions, and it is only logical that we could not fully satisfy the political ambitions of all our MPs. You made all the decisions behind our backs, in agreement with Hlas-SD, and this is the result.
Governing requires perspective and compromise. The art of governance is not for everyone; you know how to seize power, but only the best know how to keep it. You have that ability, Prime Minister.
The foundation of parliamentary politics is cooperation between political parties, mutual respect, and tolerance in implementing their programmes. Do you really wish to be the prime minister of a government composed of political parties and blackmailers? You must know that this cannot work.
In none of the governments you have led have you engaged in individual negotiations with people who broke away from their political parties. It is evident that some within SNS and Hlas-SD have been enticed by the prospect of striking separate deals with you as prime minister and leader of the strongest political party.
It was not us but you who legitimised them, gave them hope for an agreement, and now wish to reward them for their betrayal of their mother parties. This will trigger a chain reaction.
This is your decision and your political risk. However, please adhere to the coalition agreement. You cannot replace ministers without the approval of their respective parties. Neither SNS nor Hlas-SD is responsible for this situation. We do not hold an imperative mandate.
In 2020, you also lost MPs—that is the political reality. That should be the first point in amending the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. Our political agreement was that you would not engage in negotiations with them. I was certain that this would lead to nothing but blackmail on their part. By doing so, you have encouraged these individuals to disregard their original parties.
I urge you not to attack SNS or Hlas-SD. This is no longer our responsibility. You are the prime minister, and you know very well who broke them, who controls them, and who has won them over. Resolve this issue with those people, not by attacking us and frightening the public with talk of elections.
Politics is the art of compromise, which ensures power is maintained. However, it should also be built on character, respect, and dignity between political parties. I have never betrayed you—neither politically nor personally—which is why your words disappoint me even more. The Constitution of the Slovak Republic does not allow for an imperative mandate.
Just as you lost MPs in 2020, this government, as well as SNS and Hlas-SD, has faced the same issue.
This also happened to KDH and the Slovensko movement, yet that does not mean we should exploit this for mutual attacks and political blame-shifting. It does not mean that SNS or Hlas-SD politicians are less competent or less experienced.
Your short-term solution—violating the coalition agreement by stripping Hlas-SD of a ministry and handing it over to those who betrayed Hlas-SD—mirrors what you plan to do with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. You are even offering positions on your candidate list to my ministers, which I find personally disappointing.
Does it no longer bother you that the ministerial post should go to Rudolf Huliak, whom you yourself rejected as minister of the environment?
I must say that, for me, there have always been certain boundaries in politics. You may criticise me for many things, but my word is my bond. I extended my hand to you even when you were on your knees in 2018. I supported you in 2016 when I agreed to a government that included a Hungarian minority party.
I stood by you when those closest to you abandoned you in 2018. I stood beside you at every protest between 2020 and 2023 and helped you become prime minister in 2023.
That is why it saddens me that you once again see only the failures of your coalition partners, attack them, and refuse to address the root cause of this crisis. A government built on betrayal, bribery, and blackmail has no future—and you must know this well.
I have always considered you, and still consider you, a talented and capable person. You are a politician unparalleled in modern Slovak history, but unfortunately, I must conclude that you lack empathy for your coalition partners. If SNS and Hlas-SD fall, so will you—and that is exactly what our opponents want. I urge you to find common ground with us, stop attacking us, and, above all, do not open discussions about early elections.
You can be tough and uncompromising, but you often direct that towards your coalition partners—those who respect you—while being lenient towards the opposition, even those who once sought to imprison you. If you cannot hold onto power, then you do not deserve it. You forgave [Mikuláš] Dzurinda and later regretted it. Yet I have not once heard you say that you want to deal with [Richard] Sulík, [Igor] Matovič, or [Boris] Kollár.
It is a shame that your energy, passion, and strength are not focused on fulfilling the promises we made to our voters. We pledged to revoke the agreement on the presence of US troops.
We promised to hold those responsible for the theft during the Covid-19 pandemic accountable. We told people that Sulík, Matovič, and Kollár would answer for their actions. I still do not understand why you allowed Boris Kollár to continue using state security protection for another six months.
I still do not understand why, in 2012, instead of taking a firm stance against Matovič, you opted for political negotiations and even granted him the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for [Peter] Pollák. And now, you are acting the same way.
I entered this government with the enthusiasm that we would dismantle the Specialised Criminal Court and the Special Prosecutor’s Office, restore normality to society, show people that we are here to help, and actually help them. You forced us to vote for a consolidation package I cannot support. Foolish transaction taxes, the abolition of parental pensions—rather than reforming the healthcare system, which is plagued by corruption, or halting arms purchases and other questionable projects, we introduced ill-conceived taxes.
Nonetheless, I appreciate that you at least allowed me to protect small businesses and reduce VAT to 5 percent for catering services, fitness centres, and accommodation facilities.
I joined this government knowing that SNS would not disrupt relations between Smer-SD and Hlas-SD. You supported us in our efforts to shape cultural policy, where we took a firm stance against LGBTI projects. We launched new environmental infrastructure projects and, above all, developed historic initiatives in tourism and sport, set to materialise over the next two to three years.
Yet now you want to destroy all this just because a group of MPs—mysteriously influenced—are blackmailing us. I believe SNS does not deserve such treatment from you. Without us, you would never have become prime minister, except in 2012. I thought you had learned your lesson.
I write to you as a colleague who respects you, and perhaps still as a friend.
I have never denied your political skills or your ability to handle any crisis. You have an admirable talent for communication. What you lack, however, is sensitivity—sensitivity towards those around you.
You do not recognise your friends, and you show respect to your enemies. It is clear that your personal battle with the President of the Slovak Republic [Peter Pellegrini, Ed.] continues. It is also evident that you know exactly who orchestrated the departure of my MPs, led by Rudolf Huliak.
Mr Prime Minister, do not shift the responsibility onto your coalition partners, or you will once again find yourself alone. The people expected and still expect more from us.
If your plan is to govern by constantly shifting the blame for instability and failure onto others, I must tell you publicly that I can no longer bear this burden.
I regret having to write letters like this, but you must admit that, in the six months leading up to the presidential election, the coalition council has met only three times.
Today, you realise that this would have been a good solution. I do not question your suffering and pain. Nothing compares to what you have been through. However, I am saddened by how you are unable to trust anyone politically. I am deeply sorry that you do not see friends as friends, that you hurt them, and that you fear your enemies.
I have not heard you say anything in the past two years about what will happen with the cases in this republic. If we do not hold on to power, then we do not deserve it.
I urge you not to exert political pressure or undermine political parties such as SNS and Hlas-SD.
We need you, and you need us. But the moment you decide to negotiate individually with people who have betrayed us, that is your choice—one that will not last long. I refuse to be subjected to political pressure and to always play the role of the loyal, younger political brother.
After the assassination attempt, it was impossible to speak with you for several months. Everything that is happening now is not just the result of ambition and the greed of dissatisfied MPs. It is happening because you live in political isolation and trust no one.
I wish for us to overcome this political crisis. However, I must also point out that my political vision differs significantly from yours.
I never had the same political power as you, yet I have always maintained my integrity and decency, and my word has always stood. I have never politically betrayed you, so I ask you—do not betray me either.
I am here and will stand by you for as long as I believe you are the right man to serve as Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic. Be the man you once were, and I will stand beside you, for better or worse.
Yours sincerely,
Andrej Danko
Chairman of SNS
