Slovak president blocks referendum on lifting sanctions against Russia

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has ruled out the possibility of holding a referendum on lifting sanctions against Russia, citing legal shortcomings in a recent citizen-led petition.

The president made the announcement in a public address following the submission of the petition earlier in May by activists who called for a national vote on ending Slovakia’s support for EU sanctions imposed on Russia, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The initiative, led by the Slovak Revival Movement and its leader Robert Švec, reportedly gathered 395,401 signatures—well above the 350,000 required to prompt formal review under Slovak law. Despite meeting the numerical threshold, President Pellegrini said the referendum could not proceed due to the vague and unclear wording of the proposed question.

“It is impossible to declare a referendum with the proposed question,” Pellegrini stated, emphasising that the petition fails to meet the legal criteria necessary for a national vote. He added that the text was ambiguously phrased, making it impossible to interpret in a clear and legally valid manner.

By Naila Huseynova