“I asked the president to revoke my mandates,” Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, who has led an interim government since December, told reporters on Sunday.
The centrist prime minister confirmed that all his decisions will be coordinated with the head of state, who will meet with him this afternoon.
The political crisis in Slovakia, a country of 5.4 million people that is a member of the European Union and NATO, worsened this week.
On Thursday, Minister of Agriculture Samuel Falkan announced his resignation after revealing a case related to a 1.4 million euro subsidy granted to his company.
The next day, Foreign Minister Rastislav Kaser also announced his desire to leave the government. The minister did not specify the reasons for his decision.
On December 15, the Slovak Parliament approved a motion of censure against the coalition government of Eduard Heger, put forward by his former liberal ally.
A day later, the government led by Heger formally resigned, after a motion of censure passed against the executive branch, and President Zuzana Caputova called snap elections by June 2023.
Approval of a motion of censure against the minority government did not automatically force early elections, and Heger’s government remained in power until new polls in the country, provided a constitutional amendment allowing early elections was implemented.
The Presidential Palace announced in December that Heger’s government would have limited, temporary powers to deal with current affairs.
Slovakia’s constitution does not allow snap elections, but the Supreme Court has raised the option of amending the constitution, with the approval of a three-fifths majority of the 90-member parliament.
In January, Slovakia’s deputies decided to set a date for early legislative elections in that EU member state on September 30.
“Hardcore alcohol maven. Hipster-friendly analyst. Introvert. Devoted social media advocate.”
