(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Friday, December 9 edition of Today in Slovakia – the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
For weekend events and news on travel and culture in Slovakia, see the latest edition of our Spectacular Slovakia newsletter.
President Čaputová demands snap election
President Zuzana Čaputová has officially removed PM Eduard Heger and his cabinet from power following last night’s lost no-confidence vote in parliament, while appointing Heger at the helm of a limited government until a new government is formed.
The president refused to comment on the style of governing by the fallen government as, she said, she had already been critical of the government in her State of the Republic address, which she held in parliament at the end of November.
“We could see the drama that I mentioned in my address in the last minutes of your rule as well,” the president said on Friday.
Heger’s limited government, which will not be able to appoint or remove state officials without the president’s prior approval, will be a temporary government, as there is no political will among political leaders to create a new government based on the current distribution of power in parliament.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website on the fall of the government.
Fear and purges. What the fall of Heger's government might mean for open corruption cases
Slovakia's government collapses after a lost no-confidence vote
Pandemic was a factor, but the main problem was Matovič
Today's feature story
Hundred degrees in a sauna is not how Finns do it
A Slovak enthusiast builds a network of mobile container saunas around Slovakia. One of his saunas is now benefiting Ukrainian soldiers in Kharkiv.
“In the sauna I have discovered emotions I haven’t experienced anywhere else and I would like others to discover them,” Kubica told The Slovak Spectator. He sees the Finnish sauna as beneficial not only for the body, but also the soul.
More stories on Spectator.sk:
Automotive: Slovak car industry gears up for e-mobility
Christmas: Try wärmlich at the Bratislava Christmas market
Wine: Passionate currant wine maker Augustín Mrázik wants to return the production of this Devín delicacy to historical cellars.
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Anniversary of the week
The nuclear power plant in Jaslovské Bohunice in 1999. (source: TASR)
The first nuclear power station in former Czechoslovakia, Jaslovské Bohunice, started its operation 44 years ago, on December 16, 1978.
Other news
One international candidate for the provision of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) in Slovakia, the Italian company Telepass, is already about to sign a letter of intent with the National Highway Company (NDS). It will thus be the first full-fledged EETS provider in Slovakia.
More than 40 percent of people in Slovakia plan to reduce their spending on Christmas shopping compared to last year, shows a November survey by Wolt Market. Another 42 percent of respondents plan to spend the same amount as for Christmas 2021, and 10 percent of respondents want to spend more than last year, Jana Trnovská, director of Wolt Market for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, has stated.
Bratislava's Christmas markets are visited by the most people from Thursdays to Sundays. Most, 65 percent, come directly from Bratislava, Barbora Lehocká from the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS) told the TASR newswire.
Mountain rescuers are stationed at Hrebienok, Popradské and Štrbské Pleso lakes in the High Tatras checkpoints, where tourists can test the functionality of their avalanche devices before embarking on a hike.
Picture of the day
Bratislava is testing a hydrogen bus. (source: TASR)
The Bratislava Transport Company (DPB) is starting to test a hydrogen bus in real conditions. Between December 16 and 27, passengers will be able to ride this bus on routes 50, 65, 74 and 87. This is the same model that should complement the DPB fleet next year.
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
