Slovak PM Fico says government may lose majority over spat in coalition partner

Sept 25 (Reuters) – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday his leftist-nationalist government could lose its narrow majority in parliament because of a dispute in a junior ruling ​party that threatens its position a year before an ‌election.

• Fico, an outlier in the European Union over his pro-Russian views, has for months been trying to quell infighting in the far-right, pro-Russian Slovak National Party (SNS).

• The party’s chief, Andrej Danko, has demanded the replacement of Environment Minister ‌Tomas ​Taraba, whom his party had originally nominated.

• ⁠Taraba has hinted that he ⁠may form a new group with other government deputies after his departure from the cabinet, which would cost Fico’s government its three-seat majority in the 150-member parliament.

• “This personnel decision by the SNS ​leads to the loss of the parliamentary majority,” Fico said in a statement. “Therefore I am asking the SNS chairman and his ⁠Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, who have ⁠pledged support for this government, to announce guarantees for ​maintaining the majority.”

• Fico has maintained warm relations with Russia and ​has raised concerns that NATO could provoke a war with ‌Russia — contrary to Western intelligence reports of a rising threat of escalation by Moscow.

• Fico said on Friday he would take back his proposal to sack Taraba, which he has filed with the country’s ⁠president, if there is no agreement within the party.

• Such a step would kick the ball back to SNS leadership, challenging it to either ⁠accept that Taraba ‌remains, or stop supporting the cabinet.

• The partner’s ⁠infighting has the potential, at worst, to cause ​a government ‌collapse. It could also bring forward an election ​if a ⁠super-majority of parliamentarians agree.

• Opinion polls show the ruling parties may lose power to a host of liberal and conservative parties in an election, although the result would be highly uncertain given many parties polling near thresholds to enter parliament.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague, Editing ​by Timothy Heritage)