Good evening. Here is the Monday, January 27 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
PM Robert Fico in precarious position
PM Robert Fico (in the middle) with some of his ministers. (source: TASR)
On Friday, the coalition Hlas party expelled two of its MPs, Samuel Migaľ and Radomír Šalitroš. The two were among four Hlas MPs who had rebelled in the coalition, the other two being Ján Ferenčák and Roman Malatinec. The rebellion started in late last November when Migaľ refused to back amendments proposed by the coalition SNS. He was later joined by other Hlas MPs.
Hlas justified the expulsions by accusing the two MPs of prioritising personal ambitions—such as ministerial and parliamentary leadership roles—over party values. Hlas chair Matúš Šutaj Eštok repeatedly called them blackmailers who had let him down. This does not mean they have automatically been dismissed from the parliament, but that they have become non-affiliated MPs.
The other two dissenters were not expelled because they were among the founding members.
However, all four act in unison; they say that Šutaj Eštók's claims are not true and that the latter is trying to discredit them. Now they have turned to PM Robert Fico to deal with the situation, just like the MPs centred around Rudolf Huliak who have broken off SNS and who have also been creating problems for the ruling coalition.
Moreover, they also claim that they will not vote with the coalition, leaving it without a majority. In Slovakia's 150-member parliament, the majority threshold is 76. Originally, the ruling coalition had 79 seats; 77 without the expelled two Hlas MPs, and 75 without the additional two rebelling MPs. Since revolting, the three MPs centred around Huliak have not always sided with the coalition either.
PM Fico announced that he wants to hear the reason behind the expulsion of Migaľ and Šalitroš.
Whether PM Fico will actually lose the majority or manage to persuade the dissenting MPs remains to be seen. In the coming weeks, the coalition's challenges are unlikely to pose a significant obstacle, as the most pressing bills are expected to pass during the February parliamentary session.
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FEATURE STORY
A message from 1914 that is still relevant today
A still from the play The Bloody Sonnets. (source: TASR)
English-language theatre continues to thrive in Bratislava, exemplified by an ambitious adaptation of a Slovak literary classic. "The Bloody Sonnets" transforms the iconic poems of Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav. The cycle of 32 poems composed in August 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, stand apart from much of the early war poetry of the time.
While much of Europe’s literary output during this period brimmed with patriotic fervour, Hviezdoslav’s sonnets were bleak, prescient, and deeply critical.
A THEATRE PLAY TO SEE
Pressburger Fight Club
Illustrative image. (source: SME)
This Wednesday (January 29) and next Monday (February 3), the Divadlo P. O. Hviezdoslava theatre in Bratislava will present a play about the life of Imrich Lichtenfeld, the creator of the Krav Maga self-defence system. Its roots date back to 1930s Bratislava - then called Pressburg - when the play is set and anti-Semitism reached its peak. Get your tickets here.
IN OTHER NEWS
A phishing campaign targeting clients of the insured Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa (VšZP) is underway in Slovakia, reports the Sme daily. The traces lead to Russia. The campaign is designed to obtain personal and financial data from VšZP clients through fraudulent SMS messages that pose as official communications from the insurer. The messages say that the recipient's data are outdated and that they need to provide new information. A provided link redirects them to what pretends to be an official VšZP website. Meanwhile, the VšZP communications department said that in regards to the cyber attack against its systems announced on Friday, the data of insured people are safe. In this regard, President Peter Pellegrini called on relevant institutions to increase their cyber security, adding that Slovakia may face more cyber attacks in the coming days. (SME, TASR)
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštók (Hlas) announced that Jana Maškarová has become the new police chief, the first woman to take up the post in Slovakia's history. According to the minister, she will face several challenges, including the fight against illegal migration, state security, as well as the personnel stabilisation of the police, and try to increase the attractiveness of the service. Maškárová replaced Ľubomír Solák, who stepped down in the wake of the tragic knife attack at a school in eastern Slovakia. Maškarová has been serving in the security forces for some 30 years. She returned to the Police Corps from the National Security Bureau. Opposition MPs from the SaS party and the Slovensko movement (formerly OĽaNO) do not like that Maškarová held leading positions in the force during major corruption cases. (TASR)
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini is lighting a candle during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. (source: TASR)
The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has turned to the Constitutional Court regarding an amendment to the Information Act. The party says the amendment might seriously interfere with people's fundamental rights and freedoms, MPs Lucia Plaváková and Zora Jaurová said at a press conference on Monday, adding that the party demands that the effect of the law amendment be suspended. The bill, which introduces fees for access to public information, was passed last December when the parliament overrode President Peter Pellegrini's veto. (TASR)
Consumer prices in Slovakia went up by 2.9 percent year-on-year in December 2024, the Statistics Office reported. (TASR)
The Šikľavá Skala icefall situated between the villages of Chrasť nad Hornádom and Matejovce nad Hornádom, eastern Slovakia. After relatively warm weeks, the icefall has finally started to form. It belongs among the most beautiful winter spectacles in Slovakia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Expect cloudy to overcast skies, with rain, showers in many places, snowing on the Tatra mountain ridges. Daily temperatures will rise to between 4 °C to 10 °C, and up to 16 °C in the western part of Slovakia. Level 1 and 2 wind warnings issued for several districts, see the map here. (SHMÚ)
JANUARY 28 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Alfonz
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