The method of election from abroad is to be adjusted. According to the new system, voting is to be done at representative offices, not by post. At the same time, the possibility of voting from abroad should also be extended to presidential elections. The amount of the electoral deposit for elections to the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic and to the European Parliament is also to be changed, the amount should now depend on the amount of the average monthly salary. This follows from the amendment to the law on the conditions for the exercise of the right to vote, which the parliament moved to the second reading on Tuesday.
- Voters from abroad will no longer vote by mail, but at embassies.
- Personal voting from abroad is to be extended to presidential elections as well.
- Voting at embassies should increase the comfort and accessibility of the election of the head of state.
- The election deposit will depend on the average monthly wage in the economy.
- The new rules, including the bail adjustment, are to come into effect on September 1, 2026.
“The new legislation reflects the long-standing demand of voters living abroad to participate in personal voting in national elections at representative offices and thus enabling the exercise of the right to vote on the territory of the state in which voters are located at the time of the election, without the need to travel to the territory of the Slovak Republic for the purpose of carrying out the electoral act, respectively without the need to carry out actions related to the election by mail,” clarified the MPs for the Smer-SD coalition, who are behind the amendment.
The amendment is to introduce voting at representative offices, in addition to parliamentary elections and referendums, for presidential elections as well. “Until now, voters without permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic could vote in the presidential elections of the Slovak Republic exclusively in person on the day of the election in a polling station in the territory of the Slovak Republic, based on being added to the list of voters after presenting a travel document issued by the Slovak Republic. By replacing personal voting in a polling station on the territory of the Slovak Republic with voting at an embassy, this group of voters will significantly increase not only their voting comfort, but also the real availability of the opportunity to actively participate in the election of the head of state from abroad,” argued the proponents.
The amendment also changes the setting of the electoral bond calculation for parliamentary elections and for elections to the European Parliament. The amount should now be based on the amount of the average monthly salary. For parliamentary elections, the deposit should be in the amount of 25 times the average monthly salary instead of 17,000 euros, and for European elections in the amount of 2.5 times the average monthly salary instead of 1,700 euros.
“The current amount of the election bond has not changed since its introduction, while jits amount no longer represents a relevant amount for proving the seriousness of candidacy for bodies of such importance as the National Assembly of the Slovak Republic and the European Parliament. Such a mechanism for calculating the amount of the election deposit will ensure a reasonable increase or decrease in the amount of the election deposit depending on the objective economic indicator in the economy of the Slovak Republic,” the deputies added, adding that this calculation mechanism reflects the conclusions of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic.
If approved, the amendment should be effective from September 1, 2026.
