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Slovak Government Survives Court-Ordered Confidence Vote Over Debt Breach

Keeping Robert Fico’s narrow coalition in power, the vote leaves rising public debt under EU deficit scrutiny.

Overview

  • Parliament backed Prime Minister Robert Fico’s three-party coalition with 78 of 150 votes in a confidence motion the government faced on Thursday.
  • The motion was forced by a June 17 Constitutional Court order that said the government must request a confidence vote without delay after a two-year exemption expired.
  • Official data show Slovakia’s public debt rose to about 61.4% of GDP for 2025 and the budget deficit stayed above the EU 3% ceiling, prompting an EU excessive deficit procedure.
  • Fico said the immediate vote was a formality, but the Supreme Audit Office and fiscal watchdogs warned the outcome does not resolve how or when debt growth will be reined in.
  • Slovakia’s constitutional fiscal rules, in place since 2012, set automatic correction steps as debt climbs and the coming budget debates and EU checks will shape whether stricter measures are applied.