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No-confidence vote on PM Fico fails at Slovak parliament amid low attendance

66 opposition parliamentarians gathered for the meeting

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico AP Photo/ Omar Havana

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico

© AP Photo/ Omar Havana

PRAGUE, January 28. /TASS/. The National Council, or the unicameral parliament of Slovakia, failed to convene an extraordinary meeting on a no-confidence motion initiated by the pro-Western opposition aiming to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, with less than half of legislators turning up, news outlet Dennik N reported.

While there are 150 seats in the National Council, just 66 opposition parliamentarians gathered for the meeting - 10 short of the number required for a vote.

Another news portal, Pravda, said that opposition legislators failed another attempt to hold a session later on Tuesday, with just 64 parliamentarians attending. Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar has scheduled another extraordinary parliamentary session for Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. local time (9:00 a.m. GMT).

On January 22, representatives from Slovakia’s pro-Western opposition parties again introduced a proposal on a vote of no confidence in Fico’s government.

Earlier, the prime minister himself accused the Progressive Slovakia opposition party of plotting a coup d’etat in the country a la what happened in Ukraine. The prime minister also noted that its representatives place Kiev’s interests above national ones. In their January 17 meeting with Vladimir Zelensky they vowed that, in the event of their victory, the party would support Ukraine’s membership in NATO and send Slovak troops to its territory.

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