(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Monday, December 19 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
MPs fail to reach agreement on early election
PM Eduard Heger in parliament during the no-confidence vote. (source: Sme - Jozef Jakubčo)
The collapse of the Heger government, after MPs voted to support a no-confidence motion in parliament on Thursday, should be followed by a general election as soon as possible, President Zuzana Čaputová stated on Friday. But several players in parliamentary politics do not agree.
While Sme Rodina leader Boris Kollár declared on Friday that an early election and passage of the state budget were the main priorities, he conceded over the weekend that his party might be open to other solutions. Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) wrote on his Facebook that he did not intend to give up and wants to present his "vision" for Slovakia.
Parliament was expected to discuss the next steps at a session of party leaders this morning, but it was postponed until the evening. While the opposition parties Smer and Hlas are demanding an early election, SaS, which initiated the no-confidence vote, now say it does not want to see an election take place soon.
Heger's party, OĽaNO, which for now is the largest in the Slovak National Council, as parliament is officially known, is rejecting an early election too, but it is also shedding members. Ten MPs who formed a civic-democratic platform earlier this year and who had called on OĽaNO leader Igor Matovič to step down from his post as finance minister, announced today that they are leaving the OĽaNO caucus. They are led by Environment Minister Ján Budaj, who is the only one among the group to also be a member of OĽaNO. He has offered his resignation, but Heger did not accept it, the Sme daily reported. The group around Budaj also does not support an early election.
More stories on Spectator.sk
OPINION: As prime minister, “culture of respect” has been his catchphrase. But there was little dignity in the manner of his government’s fall, the Slovak Spectator's editor-in-chief writes in a survey of the fall of Eduard Heger in her weekly commentary and news overview.
MONEY: Favourite Slovak destination switches to euro. The Croatian kuna will cease to be legal tender early in the new year, as Croatia adopts the euro. Tourists can trade kunas for euros in person in the National Bank of Slovakia and its branches, in commercial banks that offer to trade and handle money, or via mail with a deadline of February 28, 2023.
VACATION: With the recent change in the weather, tourists can now enjoy snow-covered slopes for skiing and sledding.
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Feature story for today
It's been a tough year, but one good thing happened
Slovakia's economy relies heavily on the automotive industry, which was shaken up by the Covid-19 pandemic. Most car-making concerns suffered from a lack of semiconductors, supplies of which dried up as demand for cars surged following the pandemic. Swedish concern Volvo allayed some of Slovakia's concerns this year when it announced a €1.2-billion investment in a new plant near Košice in eastern Slovakia.
Production of Kia cars near Žilina, Slovakia (source: Courtesy of Kia Motors)
In other news
With an unusually warm start to the winter, the weather in Slovakia has broken another record. After 122-years, weather stations in southern Slovakia recorded a 364-day streak of no frost.
The eastern Slovak city of Košice could expand its use of geothermal resources. The town now uses as a heating system for nearby municipalities. For more than 20 years, there has been discussion about investing in geothermal resources more. Automobile company Volvo is now eyeing geothermal sources too. Using more renewable sources could be a potential step to better energy sustainability. (SME)
Environmental police have exposed an illegal dump containing 20 tons of waste in Hanušovce nad Topľou, Prešov Region. The team found waste left behind without any sort of permit, including plastic bottles, foils, polyamides, polycarbonates and more. If caught, those responsible could face 2 to 3 years in prison. (SME)
Pope Francis knighted a Slovak. Stanislav Bernolák, from the Diocese of Spiš in north-eastern Slovakia was created a Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great. Bernolák, a former soldier, dedicated 25 years of his life to religion. The Swiss Guards of the Vatican must salute Knights of the Order. (SME)
The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) has detained three people, including a former police office and a serving member of the force. They are charged with extortion kidnapping and two of them with founding, organising, and supporting a criminal group. (TASR)
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
