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Danko and Šutaj Eštok stumble—now Fico must clean up the chaos
PM Robert Fico (source: TASR - Martin Baumann)
It is clear that Prime Minister Robert Fico’s coalition partners, Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko and Hlas leader Matúš Šutaj Eštok, have failed to meet the premier’s deadline of February 17 to reach agreements with six rebel MPs who have quit their parliamentary caucuses in recent weeks and months. Without securing their support, the coalition’s majority remains unstable. Without these six MPs, Fico’s coalition can rely on only 73 MPs, falling short of the 76 required to be able to pass legislation in parliament. As a result, the legislature remains paralysed, with no regular parliamentary session held since December.
At the start of its term, the coalition had 79 MPs.
Since the two party leaders have failed, Fico himself is now expected to resolve the coalition crisis, as suggested by his statement on social media and by Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nominee) in a TV interview over the weekend. As promised, Fico met President Peter Pellegrini—his former protégé turned “traitor”—on Monday, though the details of their discussion remain unknown.
Meanwhile, more information has emerged about the government reshuffle since the start of the week, including reports that the prime minister may resolve the crisis by Wednesday, February 19, and has sent a letter to his coalition partners outlining his proposed solution.
However, the next parliamentary session is not scheduled until late March, giving Fico roughly a month to put an end to the coalition crisis.
Danko’s offer: Danko, who recently wore his heart on his sleeve in a letter to Fico, rejects a snap election—most, if not all, polls suggest SNS would fail to win seats in the next election and lose access to state funding tied to a good result. Therefore, he has decided to sacrifice all posts occupied by SNS nominees, including three ministerial positions (culture, sport and tourism, environment), in the hope of helping resolve the coalition crisis, which escalated after three MPs, led by Rudolf Huliak, quit the SNS caucus following disagreements with Danko in October. The caucus may well be a ticking time bomb, as half of its MPs are not SNS party members—just as Huliak and his allies (MP Pavel Ľupták, MP Ivan Ševčík) were not.
SNS leader Andrej Danko in Bratislava on February 18, 2025. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
SNS ministers: Even if Danko offers all these posts, they are not actually occupied by SNS members, although Sports and Tourism Minister Dušan Keketi is Danko’s pick. Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba are not SNS members; they were merely nominated for their positions by the party. If Šimkovičová and Taraba were forced to leave office (Danko had not spoken to them before publicly announcing his intentions), they would return to parliament, having won their seats on the SNS slate in the 2023 election. At present, their parliamentary seats are occupied by SNS members, who would have to step aside should Taraba and Šimkovičová reclaim them—which they have indicated they would.
Over the weekend, Taraba insisted he would not be replaced as minister, despite suggestions to the contrary from Smer MP Tibor Gašpar—a close ally of Robert Fico. Taraba also stated he would oppose Šimkovičová’s dismissal. “With Šimkovičová, we’re a tandem,” Taraba said. Šimkovičová is also very close to MP Peter Kotlár, a member of the SNS caucus but not of the SNS party. On Tuesday, Taraba added that as an MP, he would support only ‘good’ bills.
For now, it appears that Minister Keketi will be replaced by MP Rudolf Huliak—whom Danko has labelled a “blackmailer” and a “traitor”. MP Huliak, while far from a sports enthusiast, is an avid hunter who dreams of becoming environment minister. Could this Očová mayor swap ministries with Taraba? Unlikely, as Taraba has shown no interest in sports or tourism.
As for MP Huliak’s potential replacement in parliament, several candidates are being considered from the SNS slate, including former MEP Miroslav Radačovský—the man who went viral after releasing a ‘dove of peace’ in the European Parliament. However, Radačovský is not an SNS member either.
Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba and Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová during a press conference in Bratislava on February 18, 2025. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
Danko’s offer to Fico is not unconditional, as he clarified 24 hours after making it. Danko insists that Fico may replace SNS-nominated ministers only with his approval of the new appointees. Should this condition be ignored, Danko has warned that he is prepared to support Fico’s government as a minority administration—effectively withdrawing from the coalition.
However, if Taraba, Šimkovičová, Filip Kuffa, and Štefan Kuffa (environment deputy ministers whose parliamentary mandates, won on the SNS slate, are currently suspended) return to parliament after losing their government posts, Danko’s caucus of eight MPs would become even more diverse. This could create further instability within the coalition, as it remains uncertain whether they would support the government unconditionally or, like Huliak’s faction and the ousted Hlas MPs, adopt a more rebellious stance and create their own faction. Ironically, Danko himself would be the only SNS party member left in the SNS parliamentary caucus.
Hlas: The party has lost three MPs in recent weeks—one defected to Huliak’s group, while two others, Samuel Migaľ and Radomír Šalitroš, were expelled from the party and now sit as independents. Hlas leader Matúš Šutaj Eštok has called them ‘blackmailers’. Moreover, the two coordinate closely with sitting Hlas MP and Kežmarok mayor Ján Ferenčák. To regain their support, the coalition reportedly offered Ferenčák a ministerial post or the position of deputy prime minister for the recovery plan (replacing Hlas’s Peter Kmec), but he is said to have rejected both offers. It remains unclear what Migaľ, Šalitroš, and Ferenčák—who have criticised aspects of the coalition, including its pro-Russian rhetoric and purges in the cultural sector—are demanding in return for their support.
Their backing is crucial, as many believe the coalition’s survival only makes sense with its original 79 MPs.
From left to right: Former Hlas MPs Samuel Migaľ, Radomír Šalitroš, and Hlas MP Ján Ferenčák in Bratislava on February 18, 2025. (source: Facebook - Samuel Migaľ)
Coalition agreement: For now, the coalition is trying to resolve its problems without reopening the coalition agreement signed when it took power in late 2023. However, this option is not off the table, as Hlas and SNS have lost some of their influence in parliament. This shift could lead to amendments favouring Prime Minister Fico’s Smer party, potentially costing Hlas and SNS some ministries.
Snap election: Hlas and SNS oppose a snap election, but Smer leader Fico is open to the idea and confident of winning if the coalition crisis remains unresolved. A snap election could take place as early as June, as suggested by Minister Taraba and others. To make this happen, MPs would need to shorten their term within the next two weeks, requiring 90 votes. Smer might seek support from opposition parties, as Hlas and SNS are against the snap election. Alternatively, the election could be held in the autumn or early 2026, but delaying it might put Smer at a disadvantage due to the expected negative impact of the public finance consolidation package on households and businesses.
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FEATURE
An American rock star’s forgotten Slovak heritage
Dave Grohl (source: TVguide)
Though Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has never publicly acknowledged his Slovak heritage, genealogical research reveals his paternal lineage traces back to northeastern Slovakia. Conflicting census records and historical shifts in national identity make his ancestry a puzzle, but evidence suggests Grohl’s great-grandfather was among the earliest Slovak emigrants to the USA.
DENIAL BEFORE ADMITTING HIS MISTAKE
Minister Blanár’s apology
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) and his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský signing the consultation plan for their ministries for 2025 and 2026 during their joint meeting in Prague on February 18, 2025. (source: TASR - Barbora Vizváryová)
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) has apologised to Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová after wrongly accusing her of commenting on the STVR (Slovak Television and Radio) legislation in May 2024. Blanár described it as an example of interference in Slovakia’s internal affairs. Černochová challenged him to provide evidence of her alleged statement, but it emerged that he had mistaken her for the Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová. Despite this, Blanár insisted in a Tuesday interview with Czech Radio that the remark had indeed been made but failed to specify a source. Later in the day, in an interview with the Czech tabloid Blesk, he apologised for the mistake, admitting he had confused the two politicians. (ČT24)
Czech-Slovak relations have been far from ideal since Robert Fico returned to power, largely due to his government’s pro-Russian stance and accusations that the Czech Republic is interfering in Slovakia’s domestic affairs.
IN OTHER NEWS
Slovak police have expelled a 59-year-old Ukrainian citizen, claiming he has links to intelligence services. Previously connected to an alleged coup attempt, authorities have yet to disclose any evidence of wrongdoing. The man has been banned from entering Slovakia and the Schengen zone for two years. Police say he did not appeal the decision.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg visited the Bunt community centre in Bratislava on Tuesday.
PM Robert Fico’s proposed constitutional amendment has drawn 118 comments, including 14 key objections from the Slovak Bishops’ Conference, the Employers’ Union, and the Supreme Court.
If parliamentary election had been held in February, Progressive Slovakia (PS) would have won on 24.1 percent of votes, followed by Smer with 22.1 percent and Hlas with 12.5 percent, according to polls conducted by AKO agency on behalf of TV JOJ 24.
The Slovensko movement will not support extraordinary parliamentary sessions called by the opposition unless there is proper communication and cooperation, leader Igor Matovič declared. Matovič declared that his movement refuses to be a “doormat” or a “fig leaf” for Progressive Slovakia. He complained that PS, along with SaS and KDH, repeatedly call extraordinary parliamentary sessions without consulting MPs from his party, Slovensko, yet still expect them to participate. According to Matovič, PS is “splitting the opposition” and he urged the party to “wake up, start acting like adults, and stop excluding anyone from the democratic camp.”On Tuesday, the opposition attempted to oust ministers Tomáš Taraba and Martina Šimkovičová but failed. (Denník N)
Coalition MPs’ empty seats marked the aftermath of Tuesday’s failed attempt to open an extraordinary parliamentary session on Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba’s (SNS) dismissal. For the second time, the parliament lacked a quorum, with only 63 MPs present. The debate is set for another attempt on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. (source: Jakub Kotian)
WEDNESDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: Expect mostly clear skies with just a sprinkle of clouds here and there—though the east might get a bit more cloud cover. Temperatures will range from a frosty 0°C to 5°C, but up north, some spots could dip to -2°C. Up in the mountains at 1,500m? A crisp -10°C—perfect for those who like their air extra fresh. Winds will be on their best behaviour, staying light, though the southwest might feel a gentle push from the southeast in the afternoon, up to 20 km/h. (SHMÚ)
Skiing at the Selce-Čachovo ski resort on February 10, 2025. (source: TASR - Ján Krošlák)
PARTY TIME: February 19 is Vlasta’s special day, so if you happen to know one, don’t forget to send her your warmest wishes. Všetko najlepšie!
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