Editing Politics of Slovakia (section)

==Executive branch==
{{Office-table}}
|[[President of Slovakia|President]]
|[[Peter Pellegrini]]
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|15 June 2024
|-
|[[Prime Minister of Slovakia|Prime Minister]]
|[[Robert Fico]]
|[[Direction – Social Democracy|Smer]]
|25 October 2023
|}

The president is the head of state and the formal head of the executive, though with very limited powers. The president is elected by direct, popular vote, under the [[Two-round system|two round system]], for a five-year term. In March 2019, [[Zuzana Čaputová]] was elected as the first female [[President of Slovakia]]. She was a member of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, which did not have seats in parliament.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47756368|website=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=31 March 2019}}</ref>

Following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president. Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister has to receive the majority in the parliament. From July 2006 till July 2010 the coalition consisted of [[Direction – Social Democracy|Smer]], [[Slovak National Party|SNS]] and [[People's Party – Movement for a Democratic Slovakia|HZDS]]. After the 2010 elections, a coalition was formed by the former opposition parties [[Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party|SDKÚ]], [[Christian Democratic Movement|KDH]] [[Most–Híd]], and newcomer [[Freedom and Solidarity]]. After the major elections from 2012 until 2016, the whole government consisted of members and nominees of the party SMER-SD, which also had majority in the parliament. The [[2016 Slovak parliamentary election]] gave a coalition of parties SMER-SD, SNS, and Most-Híd. After the [[2020 Slovak parliamentary election]], the [[Ordinary People and Independent Personalities]] won the election and [[Igor Matovič]] became the Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Slovakia's Ordinary PM takes over amid coronavirus crisis|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22364638/matovic-government-appointed.html|website=[[The Slovak Spectator]]|date=21 March 2020}}</ref> In April 2021, prime minister [[Eduard Heger]] was sworn in two days after the resignation of his predecessor Igor Matovič. Heger was a close ally of Matovic and deputy head of his Ordinary People party.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Slovak president appoints Heger prime minister, ending political crisis|url=https://www.metro.us/slovak-president-appoints-heger/|website=Metro US|date=1 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first1=Peter|last1=Laca|first2=Krystof|last2=Chamonikolas|title=Slovakia Names Eduard Heger New PM After Matovic Resigns on Russia Vaccine Feud|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-30/slovakia-has-new-leader-as-russia-vaccine-feud-ousts-premier|website=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=30 March 2021|access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref>