BRATISLAVA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Sunday that he was ready for a snap parliamentary election as early as January if the governing coalition can no longer secure a majority in Parliament, according to the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR).
Fico said an early election could be held by adopting a constitutional law to shorten the current parliamentary term. "It's not in my hands. I'm here to govern this country, but you can only do that if you have your back covered by Parliament," Fico said.
He added that if an early election becomes necessary, it should be held as soon as possible rather than being postponed until June.
The prime minister said he was prepared to accept an election in January, while Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, an SNS nominee, would have to decide whether they wanted the government to continue until the next regular election scheduled for 2027.
"If Danko and Taraba want to leave, then I ask them to put an end to this circus. Let them provide guarantees and the government will carry on. If they don't provide guarantees and bring down the government, there will be a snap general election," Fico said.
The remarks came amid a dispute between Danko and Taraba, which has raised questions over whether the governing coalition can maintain its parliamentary majority. Taraba has indicated that he could return to Parliament as an independent lawmaker if he leaves the government. His move could further weaken Fico's coalition, which has only a narrow majority in the 150-seat Parliament, potentially making it harder for the government to pass legislation.
Fico said he did not want to participate in the dispute between Danko and Taraba. Meanwhile, Fico said his Smer-SD party was prepared to move into opposition following the next parliamentary election if necessary. ■
