President Peter Pellegrini (source: SITA)
A constitutional lawyer has warned that a proposed referendum on EU sanctions against Russia would carry significant risks. The final decision on whether to hold it will ultimately rest with the president, the online news portal Aktuality.sk reports.
The centre-right non-parliamentary party Demokrati launched a campaign in October called "Enough of Fico", gathering signatures for a referendum to shorten the electoral term. This week, party leader Jaroslav Naď confirmed they had collected 100,000 signatures.
Meanwhile, a small pro-Russian party, Slovak Renewal Movement (SHO), has quietly gathered over 240,000 signatures for a referendum opposing EU sanctions on Russia. With minimal media attention, organisers are confident they will soon reach the 350,000 signatures required to force a referendum, meaning President Peter Pellegrini would have to make the decision on whether to hold it.
