Slovakia's Prime Minister, Eduard Heger, has announced his early resignation ahead of the country's upcoming election scheduled for September 30th. Heger's caretaker cabinet had begun to fall apart, and he felt it was necessary to step down to ensure stability in the country. President Zuzana Caputova is expected to appoint a non-political interim cabinet to govern until the election.
Heger had initially stated his intention to remain in power until the September vote, but in a nationally televised speech on Thursday, he admitted that he shared responsibility for the chaos in the country. The government had lost a vote of no confidence in December due to years of disagreements over issues such as public spending, financial support for families, handling the pandemic, and Europe's cost-of-living crisis.
Despite the government's internal struggles, it had maintained a strong reputation internationally. Slovakia had supported EU sanctions against Russia and provided significant military aid to Ukraine, including MiG-29 jets, infantry vehicles, and the S-300 missile system.
Former three-time Prime Minister Robert Fico is currently leading opinion polls four months before the Slovakian vote. He has questioned the support for sanctions against Russia and has stated that he would stop arms deliveries to Ukraine. His potential return to power could have an impact on future EU decisions.