Politics of Slovakia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, with a multi-party system.

Legislative power is vested in the parliament and it can be exercised in some cases also by the government or directly by citizens.

[2][needs update] According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Slovakia was 2023 the 18th most electoral democratic country in the world.

In September 2023, populist left-wing Smer-SSD, led by former prime minister Robert Fico, won the general election, taking 79 seats in a 150-seat parliament with its allies, the centre-left Hlas and nationalist SNS parties.

[6] The Constitution of the Slovak Republic was ratified on 1 September 1992 and became effective 1 October the same year (1 January 1993 in some parts).

It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements.

After the 2010 elections, a coalition was formed by the former opposition parties SDKÚ, KDH Most–Híd, and newcomer Freedom and Solidarity.

[8] In April 2021, prime minister Eduard Heger was sworn in two days after the resignation of his predecessor Igor Matovič.

[9][10] Slovakia's sole constitutional and legislative body is the 150-seat unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic.

It elects some officials specified by law as well as the candidates for the position of a Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic and the Prosecutor General.

The ruling coalition comprising Direction – Social Democracy (Smer–SD), the Slovak National Party and Most–Híd, led by Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini of Smer–SD, was defeated by the anti-corruption movement Ordinary People and Independent Personalities led by Igor Matovič.

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.

Some parties have regional strongholds, for example SMK is supported mainly by the Hungarian minority living in southern Slovakia.

Although the main political cleavage in the 1990s concerned the somewhat authoritarian policy of HZDS, the left-right conflict over economic reforms (principally between Direction - Social Democracy and Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party) has recently become the dominant power in Slovakia's politics.

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