Slovak Parliament Speaker Delays Minister's No-Confidence Vote Until September

Andrej Danko, speaker of Slovakia's parliament and leader of the Slovak National Party (SNS), announced he will not convene a special parliamentary session requested by opposition parties to hold a no-confidence vote against Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba. The session has been postponed until September when parliament reconvenes after its summer recess. Danko, whose SNS party is part of the ruling coalition alongside the social-democratic Smer-SD and Hlas parties, publicly indicated for the first time who might replace the controversial minister in the fall. The opposition Progressive Slovakia party and other opposition groups had pushed for the extraordinary session to remove Taraba from office, but Danko's decision means the vote will be delayed by several months.