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MPs back anti-sanctions motion - by mistake
Chair of the Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko (centre), Štefan Harabin (left), SNS MPs Peter Kotlár (second from right), Roman Michelko (right), Dagmar Kramplová (second from left), and Slovak Revival Movement (SHO) leader Róbert Švec during a press conference on anti-Russia sanctions in Bratislava on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (source: TASR - Martina Kriková)
In a vote that caught even its own architects off guard, Slovakia’s parliament on Thursday unexpectedly passed a resolution urging government ministers not to support any future EU sanctions against Russia – potentially complicating Prime Minister Robert Fico’s delicate dance in Brussels.
The motion, tabled by four MPs from the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS), was intended more as a political signal than a serious legislative move. Even SNS leader Andrej Danko, who co-signed it, did not expect it to pass.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways,” he quipped after the vote.
What happened? A miscalculation. Opposition MPs from Progressive Slovakia and others attempted to torpedo the vote by walking out – a tactic used to deprive the chamber of a quorum. Several coalition MPs were also missing (some reportedly on purpose), but the vote still met the minimum threshold of 76 MPs present. The resolution passed 51–1.
Adding fuel to the fire: One opposition MP, Martina Bajo Holečková (SaS), was marked as present by the voting system, which made the chamber quorate. She claims it was a technical error and insists she was not in the room. Meanwhile, the opposition descended into finger-pointing. SaS and Slovensko accused Progressive Slovakia of switching tactics too late – abandoning plans to vote against the measure in favour of a walkout. Had the opposition simply voted no as planned, the motion would have failed.
Coalition cracks show: The vote also exposed fault lines within the governing coalition. While most MPs from Fico’s Smer party, the SNS, and a few from Hlas backed the resolution, others sat on their hands. Four Smer MPs abstained, and only one coalition lawmaker – Ján Ferenčák (Hlas) – voted against. It is alleged that Prime Minister Robert Fico did not want the resolution to pass and had quietly tasked his four MPs with sinking it. What he had not counted on was the opposition tripping over itself.
Opposition MP Martina Bajo Holečková (source: TASR)
Is it binding? Legal experts agree: the resolution carries no legal weight. Fico, a long-time critic of sanctions against Russia, has never blocked them in Brussels and remains under no formal obligation to do so now. The text stops short of requiring the government to veto sanctions – it merely “urges” ministers not to back measures that “harm Slovakia’s national interests”.
Fico plays it cool: The prime minister responded via Facebook. He did not say how he plans to vote at the next EU sanctions meeting, nor did he clarify whether he considers the resolution binding. However, he did note that he had informed European Council President António Costa of the vote during a scheduled phone call.
Why it matters: It is a symbolic win for Danko, whose SNS is struggling below the electoral threshold and losing clout in government. But it may also further strain his already tense relationship with Fico.
Awkward question: The surprise vote leaves Fico in a bind. If the Slovak parliament has formally opposed new Russia sanctions, how can the premier continue approving them without appearing to flout the will of his own legislature?
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR
TAX FREEDOM DAY: People in Slovakia will not start working ‘for themselves’ until June 26 this year – 25 days later than their Czech neighbours – as rising public spending pushes Tax Freedom Day deeper into the calendar, according to think tank INESS.
DIGITAL DRIFT: As the US powers ahead on innovation and China surges in tech investment, Europe is tying itself in regulatory knots. For Slovakia’s small businesses, the digital future risks becoming a bureaucratic dead end, writes Matej Beňuška of PA Matters.
JUDGE STAYS PUT: A politically sensitive bid to oust Supreme Court Justice Juraj Kliment has largely failed, after the top administrative court threw out most charges in a disciplinary case pushed by the government.
BACK IN BUSINESS: Just over a year after Slovakia dismantled its elite anti-corruption office, the general prosecutor have quietly rebuilt a new unit under a different name.
HISTORY TALKS: A basilica from the back, a trilingual inn, and pilgrims sleeping under the stars – this 1911 postcard from Šaštín reveals a quietly striking corner of Slovak history.
COMEDY CRACKDOWN: After a state-backed venue cancelled shows by a leading satirical troupe, foreign comedians are calling foul. “Grotesque,” said one. “Scary,” added another. One compared the culture minister to Pinochet – and not in a flattering way.
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DON’T MISS THIS WEEKEND
Slovakia’s garden weekend is back
Rudavskýs' Magic Garden, a private artistic oasis in Bratislava's Podunajské Biskupice, is one of the highlights of this year's Weekend of Open Parks and Gardens. (source: National Trust)
More than 100 public and private parks and gardens across Slovakia will open their gates this weekend as part of the 17th Weekend of Open Parks and Gardens, running from June 6–8. This year’s theme, Stone in the Garden, explores how this ancient material shapes landscape design and biodiversity, from rockeries and fountains to historic cemeteries. Highlights include artist-led tours in Rudavskýs’ Magic Garden, yoga and climbing in Henček’s Garden, and new spa park walks in Sliač and Nimnica. Most sites offer free entry, and while guided tours are in Slovak or German, many hosts can provide a brief intro in English, writes The Slovak Spectator’s Jana Liptáková.
PROTEST
Artists join call to condemn Gaza war
Protest calling for an end to the invasion of Gaza, held in Bratislava on June 14, 2024. (source: Facebook - Včera bolo neskoro/prablesk)
Roughly 700 people marched through central Bratislava on Thursday, June 5, in a show of solidarity with Palestine, according to organisers from the activist collective Včera bolo neskoro (Yesterday Was Too Late).
Slovakia, they noted, has not publicly condemned what they described as Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza – nearly 20 months after the war began. The group also criticised the Defence Ministry’s ongoing negotiations to purchase six mobile air defence systems from Israel in a deal worth over €500 million.
Since Israel launched its invasion of Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, more than 53,000 people have been killed, including at least 17,000 children, according to organisers. Gaza has remained under a full Israeli blockade since 2007.
A new petition was unveiled at the protest, initiated by a group of Slovak artists, demanding that Slovakia formally condemn Israel’s actions, suspend all military cooperation with the country, and push for sanctions at both the UN and EU levels. More than 230 artists have signed.
The evening concluded with a reading of a letter of solidarity from members of the Ukrainian community to Palestinians – and a traditional dabke dance, performed as a symbol of cultural pride and resistance.
IN OTHER NEWS
Slovakia is easing rules for foreigners as part of a newly approved amendment to the country’s residency law. The legislation, passed by parliament on Thursday, scraps certain administrative obligations.
More than 37,000 students took this year’s written Slovak language and literature graduation exam (Maturita), scoring an average of 61.4 percent. Grammar school students outperformed their peers from vocational schools, averaging 73.4 percent compared to 55 percent. English was the dominant foreign language, chosen by nearly 97 percent of candidates, with average scores ranging from 63 percent (B1) to over 77 percent (C1). Just over 4,500 students, or 11.2 percent of all candidates, opted for mathematics, achieving an average success rate of 51.8 percent.
Justice Minister Boris Susko has filed a landmark appeal to overturn a plea deal involving IT entrepreneur Michal Suchoba, marking the first use of a controversial provision allowing retroactive challenges to court-approved agreements. Susko claims the bribery conviction lacks legal clarity and argues that the evidence is insufficient. The move could upend the politically sensitive “Očistec” (Purgatory) case, in which Suchoba is a key witness against allies of the current government, including Smer MP Tibor Gašpar and oligarch Norbert Bödör. The appeal was submitted at the request of powerful Smer-linked figures Jozef Brhel and his son – both charged in the Mýtnik (Toll Collector) case—raising fresh concerns about political interference in high-profile corruption prosecutions. (Sme)
A cheerful puppet and mask parade winds through the city during the 13th edition of the Virvar International Puppet Theatre Festival in Košice on June 5, 2025. (source: TASR - František Iván)
MPs have approved an amendment guaranteeing underage patients the right to a chaperone during medical care, aligning national policy with international recommendations. The provision was passed as part of a sweeping package of legislative changes controversially attached to a school law amendment. The package also introduces a two-tier system for excusing student absences: schools with good attendance records can excuse more absences without a doctor’s note, while the stricter regime caps unverified sick days. Schools will be able to move between regimes mid-year based on attendance. (TASR)
Slovakia’s state lottery company Tipos has signed a €500,000 contract with a private security firm led by Vlastimil Žamboch, a little-known businessman with ties to Tourism and Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak. Žamboch confirmed that he knows Huliak but denied having any influence over the deal, which falls under Huliak’s ministry. His name has previously appeared in the Gorilla corruption file, and he reportedly has connections to members of the Takáčovci crime group. (Aktuality)
Former foreign minister Ivan Korčok (PS) has criticised Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár for nearly €1 million in severance payments following large-scale staff changes at the Foreign Ministry, calling them costly “purges” at a time of fiscal consolidation. Blanár hit back, accusing Korčok of manipulating the public and defending the payouts as legally mandated, while blaming past governments for Slovakia’s ballooning debt.
FRIDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: Partly cloudy, with occasional periods of increased cloud cover. Isolated showers or thunderstorms are possible, particularly in the northwest – some may be intense. Daytime temperatures between 24°C and 33°C. (SHMÚ)
Strawberry picking on the plantation in Močarany, a local district of Michalovce, on June 5, 2025. (source: TASR - Roman Hanc)
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