The government of Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová fell late on Tuesday (11 October) after a junior coalition partner, the Freedom and Solidarity party (Sloboda a Solidarita; SaS), refused to back the EFSF's ratification in Parliament (see background).
Slovakia is the only country of the 17 eurozone countries which hasn't yet ratified the eurozone bailout mechanism, which EU leaders decided to expand at their 21 July summit.
As Radičová had promised, she turned the EFSF vote into a confidence motion, and lost. Only 55 of 124 lawmakers present voted in favour. Nine were against and 60 abstained, including members of the left-of-centre opposition Smer-SD. The ruling coalition needed at least 76 votes to approve the reform in the 150-seat Slovak parliament.
The main opposition party SMER-SD of former Prime Minister Robert Fico said it supported the EFSF, but wanted early elections. Fico even said that for his party, the ratification of the EFSF was "a priority".
A repeat of the vote is expected this week, on the basis of a political deal.
According to Reuters, Radičová held back tears during a news conference after the vote. She called on the three like-minded parties in her coalition to approach SMER for a way to pass the deal in a new vote.
Political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov said that, while talks on forming a new cabinet may take weeks, approval of the EFSF plan could come faster.
"I expect that quite quickly after the fall of this cabinet the rescue fund will be approved, within four days, because we are in a newly defined situation and Fico will position himself as the saviour of the euro zone and Slovakia," he said.
Under the constitution, Radičová will now have to resign but will stay in office until a new administration is in place. President Ivan Gašparovič must find a new prime minister. Early elections are possible, but not obligatory.
The political intrigue in Slovakia sharply contrasts with the recent vote in the Bundestag, where the German social democrats massively backed the EFSF.
COMMENTS
This is what inevitably happens when an "EU decision" has to be "ratified" by all parliaments of all member states concerned ...
And why does it have to be so ratified ? Because this "EU decision" is in fact an INTERNATIONAL TREATY subject to INTERNATIONAL LAW .
And why is it so ? Because the EU Treaty -as it stands now- does not provide for the necessary legal basis for such a decision (in fact it precludes it).
If such a basis had existed, this decision would have been taken by the EU institutions themselves (co decision of the Council and the EP).
The only tenable solution is therefore to amend the treaties accordingly.
Jean-Guy GIRAUD
Regarding the Slovak PM
The one that seeds hate....
harvests storms....
What has not been said by Mr Sheuble is that it not only Greece that has to endure 10 years in order to stand again on its feet...it is the whole Europe.
In other countries has also seeded and continue to seed hate....
The storms will eventually catch up with them also and will be imprinted in the history just as they were in past.
"The only tenable solution is therefore to amend the treaties accordingly. Jean-Guy GIRAUD"
Is that really so, Mr. Giraud? To me, the only tenable solution is to stop the reckless spending and spending..., and borrowing ang borrowing..., and throwing good money after bad. That is what EU has got to do as a TENABLE solution - not to amend the treaties.
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