Slovak president dismisses government, urges early elections

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Oct 19, 2022. (FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP)

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova dismissed Prime Minister Eduard Heger's government on Friday after it fell in a no-confidence vote, raising political instability and a possible path to early elections in 2023.

READ MORE: Slovak government's fate may hang on vote of a single lawmaker

Caputova asked Heger and his cabinet to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government can be formed, but also said that political leaders should look at steps to call early elections in the first half of next year.