(Reuters) – Slovakia will start 2023 with a provisional budget as parties in parliament could not agree on spending changes after the country’s minority centre-right government lost a no-confidence vote last week, parliament speaker Boris Kollar said on Monday.
Operating under a provisional budget for about 10 days will hinder using at least some funds earmarked by the euro zone country’s government to assist people hit by soaring energy prices.
The spending plan that envisions a 6.4% deficit based on gross domestic product should be approved relatively early in January, Kollar said.
“The budget can be approved only with adjustments,” he said in televised remarks after a meeting of the parliament’s leadership.
“That means that the budget is very likely to be approved around January 10, 11. Until then, we will run with a provisional (budget),” Kollar said.
The cabinet’s proposal included a range of measures including caps on energy prices for households and companies.
The central European country is facing weeks or months of talks on a viable ruling coalition after the opposition, joined by a former junior coalition party, toppled the cabinet of Prime Minister Eduard Heger on Thursday.
Some of the parties have been calling for early elections, but that requires amending the constitution to shorten the parliament’s current term, due to expire in February 2024.
(Reporting by Robert Muller; editing by Jan Lopatka and Cynthia Osterman)
