Slovakia's Prime Minister Asks President to Dismiss Him

Slovakia's Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced on Sunday that he has requested the president to relieve him of his duties after resignations from ministers weakened the government, which is currently functioning as a caretaker administration ahead of elections scheduled for September, Reuters reports.

Later on Sunday, Heger is set to meet with President Zuzana Caputova, who has the authority to appoint a temporary new prime minister. Heger has faced calls from the opposition to step aside for a technocrat to lead the country until the snap elections.

"I decided to ask the president to take away my powers and allow him to try to lead Slovakia in a stable and peaceful manner with a technocratic government to the democratic parliamentary elections," he said at a press conference.

The governing coalition lost its majority last September after the SaS party exited the alliance, and later criticized the government for not providing sufficient assistance to people regarding energy costs, which reached record levels across Europe last year. Like other European countries, Slovakia provided payments to households and businesses to mitigate the effects of soaring energy prices and depreciation, but disagreements among parties have effectively paralyzed politics in the country.