Meeting to solve coalition crisis called off

The Coalition Council session that should have taken place on Tuesday evening was called off; being deemed unnecessary as mutual consultations between coalition parties' leaders took place instead, the spokesperson for Prime Minister Robert Fico, Beatrice Szabóová, confirmed for TASR on Tuesday. Following consultations they held on Monday and Tuesday, leaders of Smer-SD, Most-Híd and the Slovak National Party (SNS), Robert Fico, Béla Bugár and Andrej Danko agreed on a regular course and approval of the agenda for the Government session that took take place on Wednesday, said Szabóová. They also agreed on a timetable for preparing an amendment to the coalition agreement with a special focus on further priorities for the Government Manifesto. "With regards to the upcoming regional elections, the leaders expressed interest in creating consultation mechanisms at lower political levels, too," she added. Meanwhile, the leaders of the governing parties voiced their concern over the fact that the media are publishing a growing number of untrue or half-true news stories in order to cause tension in society and undermine the Government's stability. The governing coalition is currently facing a crisis that was started by SNS leader Andrej Danko's unexpected withdrawal from the coalition agreement on Monday (August 7). Subsequently, Smer-SD, SNS and Most-Híd at the last Coalition Council meeting concurred that there is no alternative to the current government. Most-Híd leader Béla Bugár told the media that the partners are determined to continue. He said that the problem inside the coalition is not that serious. After this accord, SNS's requirements were revealed via the media. These include, for example, the thirteenth and fourteenth salaries, the introduction of a state-run airline, support for the spa sector, as well as a demand that ministers do not comment on the work of their colleagues. Meanwhile, SNS is facing a scandal due to the distribution of EU funds under the remit of the Education Ministry. At the same time, suspicions appeared accusing Smer-SD of collaborating with the opposition party OĽaNO on SNS's discrediting. Bugár called on the coalition partners to act in a responsible manner.