Robert Fico loses majority in Slovak parliament after MP defects

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has lost his parliamentary majority after another coalition MP defected to a new political project led by former environment minister Tomas Taraba. The switch reduces the governing bloc’s seat count to 75 — one short of the threshold needed to control the legislature.

The lawmaker who left is Roman Malatiniec, who abandoned Hlas — the party of Sport and Tourism Minister Rudolf Huliak — to join Taraba’s newly formed group. The coalition originally made up of Smer-SD, Hlas and the Slovak National Party (SNS) once held 79 mandates but internal rifts steadily eroded that margin.

Postponed votes and negotiations

Parliamentary voting has been put on hold until 10 November to buy time for talks on bringing Taraba and his three MPs into the government fold as an official coalition partner. Taraba’s group, which currently counts three deputies, has said it does not want early elections but will only support the majority on terms it deems acceptable.

That does not automatically mean the government will fall or that Fico will call elections, despite his earlier threat during the September coalition crisis. Fico reportedly prefers a January 2027 election date, a proposal rejected outright by Hlas; the new Taraba group likewise opposes immediate elections.

Analysts note that the regular election date is scheduled for September 2027, and for now most parties appear to prefer completing the current parliamentary term rather than heading to the polls sooner. Still, Taraba’s standing after his recent departure from the Environment Ministry has turned him into a pivotal figure shaping the remaining roughly ten months of Fico’s cabinet.

Photo: press material from the event