Political System

The political system of the Slovak Republic is a parliamentary democracy type with prime ministership. Parliament is the highest legislative authority of the state. It has 150 members – representatives elected in democratic elections, held every four years.

The government consists of ministers selected by the political parties which have formed a coalition (usually more than 75 members of parliament). The head of the government is the Prime Minister.

The President is the highest constitutional representative in the country and he/she is elected by direct elections. His function is, however, more formal and the real governmental power is in the hands of Prime Minister and partly in the hands of President of the Parliament.


Ivan Gašparovič – President of Slovakia

Ivan GašparovičAfter the Velvet revolution in the years of 1990-1992 he was the General Attorney of Czechoslovakia. In 1993 he got back to the University of Komensky in Bratislava and as a lawyer he was member of Scientific Council. He joined the party HZDS and was head of Parliament for several years. In 2002 he rejected the authority of Mečiar and left the party. He was elected as a president on 17th of April 2004 and then re-elected on 22nd of March 2009.


Robert Fico – Prime Minister

Robert Fico3 years before the end of communism he worked as a lawyer in the Law Institute of the Ministry of Justice and stayed there till 1995 (from 1992 as a deputy director). In 1994 he became the governmental agent representing the Slovak Republic before the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission of Human Rights (till 2000). In 1999 he founded the political party SMER – Social Democracy and in 2006 won the parliamentary elections and became the Prime Minister.


Pavol Paška – President of Parliament

Pavol PaškaPaška graduated from the Faculty of Arts of the Comenius University in Bratislava in 1985. In 1999 he co-founded and became one of the vice-chairs of Smer–SD. Right after being chosen to lead the Slovak Parliament in 2006, Paška became also temporary Chair of the Conference of the Speakers of European Union Parliaments after The National Council of the Slovak Republic took over the Conference’s presidency on 3rd of July, 2006.


Slovak Parliamentary Parties

  • Government parties: Smer-SD, SNS, HZDS-ĽS
  • Opposition: SDKÚ-DS, SMK and KDH

Explanation of party abbreviations

  • Smer-SD = Smer – sociálna demokracia = Direction – Social Democracy
  • SNS = Slovenská Národná Strana = Slovak National Party
  • HZDS-ĽS = Hnutie za demokratické Slovensko – ľudová strana = Movement for Democratic Slovakia – People’s Party
  • SDKÚ-DS = Slovenská demokratická a kresťanská únia – demokratická strana = Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party
  • SMK = Strana maďarskej koalície = Hungarian Coalition Party
  • KDH = Kresťansko-demokratické hnutie = Christian Democratic Movement

Results of the last Parliamentary elections

The last Parliamentary elections in Slovakia were held in June 2006 and these were the results:

  • Smer – 29,1 %
  • SDKÚ – 18,4 %
  • SNS – 11,7 %
  • SMK – 11,7 %
  • HZDS – 8,8 %
  • KDH – 8,3 %