Slovak Ruling Coalition Temporarily Reduced to 73 MPs for One Day

Slovakia's ruling coalition unexpectedly found itself with only 73 members of parliament for a single day, temporarily losing its majority in the 150-seat National Council. The coalition, led by Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-SD party along with junior partners Hlas-SD and SNS, normally controls 79 seats but faced a temporary reduction due to absent MPs. Meanwhile, recent polling data shows shifting support among political parties, with Progressive Slovakia and Smer-SD losing ground while former Prime Minister Igor Matovič's OĽaNO party, the liberal SaS, and the Christian Democratic KDH all gained support. The temporary loss of the coalition's parliamentary majority highlights the narrow margin by which the current government operates and could signal potential challenges for passing legislation if absences become more frequent.