Slovakia’s government crisis was definitively brought to an end on September 11 when the governing coalition’s three party leaders inked an amendment to their deal to rule together.
The crisis broke out in July after the ultra-nationalist junior partner, the Slovak National Party (SNS), unexpectedly declared it was withdrawing from the deal because it wanted to negotiate new terms. But Prime Minister Robert Fico, who leads the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, appeared to out-manoeuvre SNS leader Andrej Danko by essentially daring him to bring the coalition down in a vote of no-confidence.
SNS’s popularity has fallen since a scandal blew up around EU funding distribution of the education ministry, and the education minister Peter Plavcan (SNS) resigned, and because its threats to topple the government have not gone down well with many voters.
Announcing the amendment to the coalition deal, Fico said SNS’s concern over a lack of communication between governing ministers would be addressed by regular meetings.
Smer needs both SNS and the ethnic Hungarian Most-Hid party for a majority in the 150-seat parliament.
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