The electoral period for local governments could be extended to five years from next year’s municipal elections. The Chairman of the National Council (NR) of the SR Richard Raši (Voice-SD) announces that the it looks like there is agreement across the political spectrum on this issue. This follows from his statement in the year-end interview for TASR.
“We still want to open the constitution because it looks like we will find political agreement across the political spectrum to extend the electoral period for five years from the next municipal elections. It is agreed by the Association of Cities and Municipalities of Slovakia, the Union of Cities of Slovakia and the region. We in Hlas are for it, Smer, SNS and KDH are also for it. We will still hold interviews with some parties from the opposition and the five-year electoral period from the next municipal elections should be validé,” he declared for TASR.
Rashi thinks that in such a case it would work for a constitutionally clean solution. He argued that if the electoral period were to be extended even before the next election, someone could argue that the current mayors were elected for four years.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in October came up with the idea of moving the municipal and regional elections to 2027. Raši, however, after completing negotiations with representatives of all municipalities and regions in Slovakia, declared that the next municipal elections will take place on time in 2026.
He explained that they agreed that any extension of the current term of office would be a violation of the principles of constitutionality and applicable legal norms. In November, he announced the start of negotiations on the proposal to extend the electoral period of local governments from the next regular elections to local government bodies.
