Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia's ruling four-party coalition government has lost one of its members, but will maintain a parliamentary majority.
Five lawmakers from the smallest coalition partner, the conservative Net party, quit earlier this week to join a parliamentary faction of a party of ethnic Hungarians. The switch left the Net with just two lawmakers.
Prime Minister Robert Fico says Net chairman Roman Brecely will resign as transport minister, the only ministry the party held. Fico says the Net is likely to be integrated with an unspecified coalition party.
Fico's leftist Smer-Social Democracy party dominates the government formed after it won the March parliamentary election with eight government posts.
The Net attacked Fico in the pre-election campaign, but lost popularity after it joined his government.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.