Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, February 19 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in a few minutes.
Coalition parties agree on ministry reshuffling
Coalition parties chairs from left: Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas), Robert Fico (Smer) and Andrej Danko (SNS). (source: TASR)
The ruling parties Smer, Hlas and SNS have agreed to amend the coalition agreement. Smer has gained two more ministries, the Investment Ministry originally held by Hlas, and the Sports and Tourism Ministry formerly held by SNS.
The change has been implemented as an amendment to the coalition agreement. The reshuffling reflects that both Hlas and SNS have lost a few MPs.
"Smer will use the political influence to stabilise the ruling coalition and once again to regain the majority in the parliament," PM Robert Fico announced on Facebook.
The prime minister admitted that he has yet to reach an agreement with the rebel MPs and has not restored the original 79-member majority in parliament.
Last year, three MPs left the SNS caucus - Rudolf Huliak, Pavel Ľupták and Ivan Ševčík. This year, the Hlas caucus lost three MPs - Roman Malatinec joined the three MPs originally from SNS, while Radomír Šalitroš and Samuel Migaľ were expelled from the party.
Although this is a step forward in negotiations, it cannot be said when the coalition crisis will end.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
POLITICS: Who remains in PM Robert Fico's inner circle? Since the assassination attempt in May last year, the premier has distanced himself from his political partners.
A CURIOUS CASE: A court orders the release of a Tajik man called terrorist by the Interior Minister. According to the decision, the police acted neither correctly, nor effectively in regards to his extradition. The man came into spotlight during last year's presidential election.
BUSINESS: First facility converting excess solar energy into heat to be built in central Slovakia.
JUST A TRIP: A Košice city councillor visited Russia in late January, reportedly claimed that Slovakia bans Russian language and lamented pro-Western opinions of teachers.
MINORITIES: It is much less known that Ruthenians also settled in the upper part of the Horehronie region, leading to a distinctive ethnic island.
During the Reformation period, they resisted enormous pressure to abandon their Orthodox faith, and became noted for their courage and stubbornness.
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FEATURE STORY
With Kate Winslet on her new film and more
Kate Winslet. (source: TASR)
"I feel sorry for young people, for the world they live in today, for our children. I imagine how uncertain they are about their ideas about the future, and it makes me sad," says in an interview with the Sme daily actress Kate Winslet. Recently, she produced and starred in the biopic movie Lee about World War II journalist Lee Miller. In the interview, Winslet talks about the long production, about the journalist's famous photo in Hitler's bathtub, and more.
EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND
Sleigh racing
Riders on a special type of sleighs called krňačky. (source: TASR)
This Saturday, the Chopok peak in the Low Tatras will play host to an international competition in sleigh racing. Riders from Slovakia, Czechia, Poland and Germany will show their mastery in riding sleighs called krňačky, which in the past were used in logging in difficult to access terrain. Find out more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
The parliament failed to open a special session on a no-confidence vote in Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nominee) on Wednesday as only 49 MPs presented themselves for the first attempt and 53 for the second one, making the house inquorate. The vote has been postponed to the next regular session in late March. The vote was initiated by opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS) and SaS with non-affiliated MP Ľubomír Galko who criticise Taraba for failing to manage his ministry, as well as the recent proposal to build a hydropower plant. The session failed partly because of the opposition Slovensko movement (formerly OĽaNO) MPs not presenting themselves. "This isn't an attack. This is setting the rules for cooperation within the opposition. PS can't treat us like some dirty rag and at the same time expect us to vote for its proposals," says Slovensko chair Igor Matovič. PS recently said it rules out post-election cooperation with the movement. In the past, the movement attacked both opposition and coalition parties alike. (TASR)
According to a new survey, a quarter of Slovaks feel lonely, while a fifth is socially isolated. People aged 65 and more, long-term ill and unemployed most at risk. People with low level of education, those living in cities with more than 100,000 residents, those in single households as well as a single parent taking care of children are also at risk. A little over 5 percent of people feel extreme loneliness, meaning that they almost constantly feel alone, isolated, ignored and refused. The survey was carried out by the Focus polling agency on a sample of 3,006 people in autumn last year on behalf of the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University. (TASR)
The popular Polish discount store chain Biedronka will open its first store in Slovakia on March 5. The stores will be located in Levice, Nové Zámky, Považská Bystrica, Senica and Zvolen.
According to Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický (Smer), it will be necessary to save more money in the next budget, meaning that the consolidation package for the next year will have to be increased. "The sum for the next year I mentioned would be around €800 to 850 million will have to be increased by a few hundreds of millions of euros," the minister said on Wednesday. This is because of external influences such as the stagnating German economy. (TASR)
The government approved the plan of the Education Ministry for a 7-percent salary increase for teachers and professional staff starting as of September 1, 2025, followed by an additional 5-percent increase as of January 1, 2026, along with a new non-tariff system that will raise salaries by an average of 2 percent. However, teachers' union remain in strike alert and to take a thorough look at the proposal. They fear that some of their request in regards to salary increase have not been met. (TASR)
A cart-horse while logging in a hard to access terrain in the forest in the Biele Karpaty mountain range in western Slovakia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Brace yourselves for another cold night, with temperatures dropping down to minus 17 °C in valleys as level 1 low temperatures warning has been issued for northern, central and parts of eastern Slovakia. See the map here. The day will be partly cloudy, with temperatures rising up to 6 °C. (SHMÚ)
FEBRUARY 20 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Lívia
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