Parliament is set to vote on confidence in Robert Fico’s cabinet on Thursday.
The Constitutional Court has ended months of political wrangling over Slovakia’s debt brake rules, ruling that the government must seek parliament’s confidence immediately once legal conditions are met.
The decision puts fresh pressure on Prime Minister Robert Fico’s administration, which has delayed a confidence vote despite opposition claims that the obligation arose late last year.
In a ruling announced on Wednesday, the court said the phrase “without unnecessary delay” requires immediate action by the government and does not allow for prolonged inactivity. The judges also said parliament must deal with such a request promptly once it is submitted.
The dispute centred on a provision of Slovakia’s constitutional debt brake law, which requires a government to seek a confidence vote when public debt reaches the highest sanction level. Slovakia’s debt has remained well above the threshold for months.
