The populist Ordinary People and Independent Personalities–NOVA–Christian Union–Change from Below (OĽaNO–NOVA–KÚ–ZZ) party emerged as the largest parliamentary group, winning 53 seats.

SMER–SD won a plurality of seats in the 2016 election and formed a coalition government with national-conservative Slovak National Party, inter-ethnic Most–Híd, and liberal-conservative #Network.

In March 2018, Peter Pellegrini took over the Prime Minister's office after the resignation of Robert Fico, as a result of mass anti-government protests triggered by the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak.

All citizens, who were 21 years of age or older on the election day and are permanent residents of Slovakia, were allowed to run as candidates except for prisoners, convicted felons, and those declared ineligible to perform legal acts by court.

An informal political bloc, labeling itself the "democratic opposition," included the parliamentary parties Freedom and Solidarity and Ordinary People and Independent Personalities, the extra-parliamentary Christian Democratic Movement and the newly founded parties For the People, Progressive Slovakia and Together – Civic Democracy with the last latter running in coalition.

The coalition submitted an electoral complaint with the Constitutional Court on 12 March seeking a recount, although they did not have any expectation it would significantly change the results, and only did so in order to clear doubts about the democratic process.

On 4 March, Matovič was tasked by the President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, to form a new government.