Slovakia's Ruling Coalition Divided Over Future of Universal 13th Pensions

Slovakia's ruling coalition faces internal division over the future of universal 13th pensions, with Interior Minister Tibor Gašpar of Smer-SD raising the possibility of targeting the payments to specific groups rather than providing them to all retirees. Gašpar's comments represent a departure from the position of Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has previously rejected any changes to the universal pension system. The proposal has drawn criticism from coalition partner Hlas-SD, with party leader Erik Tomáš accusing the government of breaking its promises to voters. The 13th pension is an additional annual payment introduced as a universal benefit for all Slovak retirees, making any discussion of means-testing or targeted distribution politically sensitive. The internal disagreement highlights tensions within Slovakia's ruling coalition, which is composed of Smer-SD, the populist social-democratic party led by Fico, and Hlas-SD, a center-left party that split from Smer in 2020.