What Slovakia Is Writing About: Fico Tells Czech President He Prefers Peace. Taraba Calls SNS Nominee Kuffa a "Flawed Person"

Prime Minister Robert Fico responded to Czech President Petr Pavel, who had called his remarks about NATO's Article 5 "serious" — Fico told him to respect that he prefers peace, and noted that he respects that Pavel, "as a former NATO general, would like to fight." President Pellegrini, meanwhile, did not confirm that SNS nominee Filip Kuffa would take over the environment ministry after Taraba — he acknowledged that the ministry could be temporarily led by the prime minister himself, while Taraba warns of the coalition losing its majority and has called his possible successor a "flawed person." Pellegrini also stated that a balanced budget is today "a utopia," while diesel prices meanwhile approached two euros per liter — a level last seen at the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Fico Tells Czech President Pavel: Respect That I Prefer Peace

On Sunday, Czech President Petr Pavel called Fico's statements about not wanting Slovakia to become part of a conflict "because of some Article 5" of the North Atlantic Treaty "a completely serious statement" Pravda ↗. Fico responded: "I respect that Czech President Petr Pavel, as a former NATO general, would like to fight. I would therefore welcome it if he respected that I prefer peace" STVR ↗ Hospodárske noviny ↗. The daily Pravda noted that this was Fico's own characterization of Pavel's position — the Czech president himself did not speak of war and only emphasized solidarity among NATO members, and Fico did not substantiate with evidence his claim that part of the West is "looking for a pretext" for conflict with Russia Pravda ↗. The dispute also spilled over into the coalition-opposition arena: opposition MP Zuzana Mesterová (PS), according to SME, claims that Fico thereby sent the aggressor a signal of Article 5's weakness, which coalition MPs reject SME ↗, and in a debate she also disagreed on the interpretation of Fico's words with Smer-SD MP Ján Richter SITA ↗. Opposition MPs Roman Mikulec and Veronika Remišová (both Slovensko – Za ľudí) speak of a threat to Slovakia's security — Mikulec called Fico's statements proof of his cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and called on Pellegrini, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, to condemn them very sharply, saying that instead he is "burying his head in the sand"; Remišová added that Fico is "essentially denying the basis of security guarantees for Slovakia" TASR ↗ Hospodárske noviny ↗.

Kuffa Is a "Flawed Person," Says Taraba, as Pellegrini Hesitates Over His Appointment

In a Sunday debate, President Pellegrini acknowledged that after Taraba's dismissal, the environment ministry could temporarily be taken over by Prime Minister Fico himself while SNS and the government negotiate the succession, and suggested he would also welcome a "more expert and less political" name if neither camp manages to push through its candidate STVR ↗ TASR ↗. Our article → Taraba also complicated things for his own potential successor: according to SITA, he called State Secretary Filip Kuffa a "flawed person" and wants to give Fico evidence of this directly SITA ↗. At the same time, on the program Na telo he announced that after returning to parliament he wants to be an "autonomous" MP, is convinced the coalition will lose its majority, and denied that he would join the Smer caucus Standard ↗ ta3 ↗. Shortly before that, SNS caucus chair Roman Michelko stated on the program O 5 minút 12 that he was convinced of Slyško's support for coalition proposals — according to him, Hlas caucus chief Róbert Puci had assured him of this. Slyško publicly responded by telling him not to speak in his name, and reiterated that he politically supports Taraba SITA ↗.

The Budget Is a "Utopia," Diesel Approaches Wartime Prices

President Pellegrini declared that presenting a functional, balanced state budget today is "a utopia" TASR ↗. Smer-SD MP Ján Richter said ahead of Monday's coalition council that the draft budget is 99 percent complete STVR ↗, but opposition MP Mesterová warned against an "irresponsible campaign package" ahead of the elections Hospodárske noviny ↗. Fuel prices, meanwhile, reached the level seen at the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine — gasoline costs 1.85 euros and diesel almost two euros per liter STVR ↗.

Poll: Smer and PS Separated by Half a Point, Hungarian Alliance Would Also Enter Parliament

According to a September poll by the Center for Social Research at Infostat, Smer has 18.7 percent and PS 18.2 percent — a difference of only half a percentage point Pluska ↗ Nový Čas ↗. A surprise is the Alliance, the party of the Hungarian minority, which reached the electability threshold with exactly five percent, while the coalition's SNS, with 3.2 percent, remained below it. Third place, with 9.9 percent, went to Republika, KDH has 8.8 percent, and coalition partner Hlas has 7.4 percent Pravda ↗.

Under the Radar

According to STVR, the coalition has reportedly agreed to abolish postal voting from abroad; Smer-SD MP Ján Richter defends the change by noting that envelopes from abroad sometimes arrived as much as half a year after elections, while opposition MP Mesterová (PS) promises to reinstate it if PS enters government STVR ↗. According to organizers, up to 30,000 people gathered at the National March for Life in Bratislava, where KDH warned of a "demographic winter" Pravda ↗; one speaker, according to Standard, declared that "a child must not be an object of trade" Standard ↗, and organizers, according to Aktuality, also called for a ban on abortion, describing surrogate motherhood as slavery Aktuality ↗. Hubert, the Sereď-based sparkling wine with 200 years of tradition, is moving its production to the Czech Republic, partly due to government consolidation measures, writes Denník N Denník N ↗. In the trial of former police chief Kovařík, the last proposed witness is set to testify, according to SME SME ↗.

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