Corruption Crisis Impacts Stability

A corruption scandal over the return of land confiscated by the communist regime is threatening to break up the SMER party-led ruling coalition. Prime Minister Robert Fico has ordered Farm Minister Miroslav Jurena of the centre-left Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) to resign over the scandal, and stated that should Jurena not quit his post voluntarily, he would be fired. Much will depend on Jurena's next move, but if he chooses to cling to his post, this would likely exacerbate a schism between SMER and HZDS, potentially breaking up the coalition government. While this could lead to early elections,

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