Rebel MPs Force Government to Delay Postal Voting Abolition Until September

Slovakia's ruling coalition has been forced to postpone legislation abolishing postal voting until September, after three rebel MPs refused to back a related electoral reform bill. The three lawmakers, aligned with Rudolf Huliak — a MP whose small nationalist faction has repeatedly caused headaches for the coalition — withheld their support for a proposal to raise the threshold for preferential candidate voting, known as 'kroužkování.' Without their votes, the coalition lacked the majority needed to pass the measure. The setback highlights the fragile arithmetic underpinning Prime Minister Robert Fico's government, which relies on a coalition of his Smer-SD party — a left-nationalist grouping currently leading Slovakia — along with smaller partners whose loyalty has at times proven unreliable. Huliak's faction has previously clashed with the coalition leadership over policy and personnel disputes, and its continued defiance complicates the government's legislative agenda heading into the autumn parliamentary session.