Taraba defies, Danko escalates the pressure
On Saturday, Taraba broke his silence about his fate at the ministry and sent a message to SNS: "I am not for sale" Pravda ↗. A day later he repeated it even more sharply: "I am not for sale, not even a sack of potatoes," adding that he has no information suggesting he should leave the ministry after September 15 ta3 ↗. At a press conference he added that the results of his work give him no reason to be dismissed TERAZ ↗.In Sunday's discussion programme, Danko explained specifically what bothers him about Taraba — according to STVR he hinted at a connection between the minister's neighbor and Italian companies, though he did not specify the details of the accusation STVR ↗. The SNS chairman also refuses to even say Taraba's name and believes that MP Filip Kuffa will become the new minister Štandard ↗. Prime Minister Fico joined the dispute by admitting that he is "unhappy" about how the conflict between Taraba and SNS is developing Markíza ↗. In its weekly overview, Denník N described this behavior as Taraba "blackmailing" the prime minister — this is the editorial team's assessment, not a quotation — referring to the fact that, should he be dismissed, the minister has signaled he would push his own legislative proposals through parliament. Fico himself concluded his weekend video by saying that on Tuesday "the house of horrors, as I call parliament, will start negotiating," since pushing through anything, including the budget, will be almost impossible amid coalition disputes, in his view Denník N ↗.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gašpar (Smer-SD) estimates that the whole dispute will culminate only at the end of September SITA ↗, and is convinced that Fico will indeed dismiss Taraba in the end Pluska ↗.
The judicial thread: an indicted man predicts the minister's end
Gašpar's own role is itself controversial — he leads parliament as deputy speaker despite facing indictment in the Očistec case ta3 ↗, a long-running police-judicial corruption case in which he features as a former president of the Police Force. Speaker of Parliament Richard Raši (Hlas-SD) sees no reason for his dismissal and considers him "fully trustworthy" SITA ↗, which he also confirmed in an interview for Pravda — according to it, Gašpar should remain at the helm of parliament, though the opposition explicitly disagrees Pravda ↗. Opposition figure Ivan Korčok, in a direct exchange on TA3, criticized him for the fact that while Gašpar himself faces indictment, the coalition is simultaneously questioning the departure of Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka — which Korčok called "hypocrisy" ta3 ↗. Gašpar, for his part, insists that calls for Žilinka's departure are not an attack on the rule of law, merely legitimate criticism of the missing "control framework" over the prosecution service — Korčok disagrees and claims it is exactly such an attack Hospodárske noviny ↗. A more sharply worded opinion blog on SME took it further, calling Fico's call for Žilinka's departure inconsistent, noting that the prosecutor general has in the past cooperated with the government, for example on abolishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor — this is the blogger's own opinion, not a news claim SME Blog ↗.The procedural thread: parliament returns, abolishing a ministry is also on the table
After the summer break, MPs return to their seats on Tuesday — nearly 300 agenda items await them, including the dismissal of several ministers Hospodárske noviny ↗. SNS chairman Danko believes in the coalition's stability, but chairman of the opposition SaS, Branislav Gröhling, has signaled that right at the start of the session he wants to "play his cards" and genuinely test whether the government majority in parliament still holds Hospodárske noviny ↗. A new topic, opened precisely by Taraba, is also entering this session: Investment Minister Samuel Migaľ confirmed that he had spoken with Taraba about the possible abolition of his own ministry, MIRRI TERAZ ↗. According to SITA, this is a discussion in the context of consolidating public finances, i.e., saving on the state budget, not a finished decision SITA ↗. In the same interview, Taraba also mentioned the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, led by SNS nominee Rudolf Huliak, which according to Taraba costs the state hundreds of millions of euros a year — regarding the whole debate, Migaľ said he "does not want to cause any panic" and that for now it is only a political discussion ta3 ↗.State money: excise duty, transaction tax, and pricier mortgages
In response to rising fuel prices, the coalition is responding with a promise to negotiate a reduction in excise duty — according to Danko, it is appropriate to start as soon as possible Refresher ↗. Several media outlets quote the same words from Danko, that "it's necessary to start doing something about it" Hospodárske noviny ↗. By contrast, the planned abolition of the transaction tax, which until recently was spoken of as a certainty, is once again uncertain according to Prime Minister Fico — he himself wants to reconsider it Nitrak ↗. Speaker of Parliament Raši commented on this only cautiously, saying that "faith is important" — without indicating which way the decision will ultimately tilt Markíza ↗. Added to this was news that the European Central Bank has again raised interest rates, which according to analysts will gradually make Slovak mortgages more expensive as well TERAZ ↗. A lower excise duty on fuel would further burden the budget at exactly the time when another part of the coalition insists so strongly on the need to save that the abolition of an entire ministry is on the table — the coalition is thus simultaneously holding two mutually competing budgetary logics.Under the radar
President Peter Pellegrini, at the National Pilgrimage in Šaštín, called for the unification of society and for seeking a common path even where none seems to exist anymore — against the backdrop of sharp coalition disputes, the gesture of reconciliation felt almost contrasting SITA ↗. Also passing largely unnoticed was news that the Union of Slovak Construction Entrepreneurs welcomes the forthcoming European bill on affordable housing, which it says should help speed up housing construction TERAZ ↗.What hotinfo is watching
- By September 15: whether Prime Minister Fico actually submits a proposal to the president for the dismissal of Minister Taraba, or whether Danko himself pushes the proposal through parliament — the deadline is still not consistent among coalition sources, since in his video Fico spoke rather of an agreement "by the end of September."
- The MIRRI ministry: whether the discussion between Taraba and Migaľ grows into a concrete proposal to abolish the ministry, and whether it also touches Huliak's Ministry of Tourism and Sport.
- The Očistec case and Gašpar: how his criminal prosecution will proceed and whether the opposition can force his departure from the leadership of parliament.
- Žilinka: whether political pressure on the prosecutor general continues during Tuesday's parliamentary session, and how he will respond to it.
- Taxes: whether the coalition follows through on lowering excise duty on fuel with a concrete proposal, and how the fate of the transaction tax is ultimately decided.
