Originally a physician, Richard Raši has been active in politics for almost two decades. Since March of this year, the seasoned politician with a background in several ministerial posts has been Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. During the summer, he even managed to take a vacation, though as he says, “In our line of work you never really switch off – as they say, the devil and politics never sleep. But I’ve gotten used to that.”
When you took up the post of Speaker, you brought a wealth of experience from two different ministries. Did anything still surprise you? How would you describe your experience so far in parliament and its atmosphere?
Ministries and parliament differ in a number of ways, some small and some more significant. For example, while at a ministry you are responsible for one specific area of state administration, in parliament laws from every ministry converge on your desk. MPs scrutinize them, debate them, and possibly improve them. I am responsible for ensuring a proper legislative process but also for the political culture in the National Council. For me, it is important that discussions in the chamber as well as in the entire building are decent and constructive. For the functioning of the institution, cooperation between coalition and opposition is important, and I am glad that my predecessors from HLAS – Peter Žiga and Peter Pellegrini – had a similar view of politics and prepared the ground for substantive cooperation. My influence, of course, extends only within parliament itself.
How do you view Robert Fico’s aggressive rhetoric toward Ukraine, which he once again demonstrated in August?
It is not my role to speak to the prime minister’s statements. We have standard relations with Ukraine – we have long provided humanitarian aid, we support peace initiatives, and we are preparing for the development of Slovak-Ukrainian relations once the war is over. I must also remind you that Slovakia supplies Ukraine with electricity, and gas flows to Ukraine through our territory. Across the coalition, there is agreement that Ukraine should join the European Union – provided it meets all the same conditions as the current member states. Our Deputy Prime Minister, Peter Kmec, is actively working to make this process as effective as possible. Concrete examples include the already-operational direct train link between Kyiv and Bratislava or the work on increasing the capacity of the electric power connection between Ukraine and the EU by as much as 17 percent. We are also modernizing border crossings and introducing an electronic queuing system for vehicles that will significantly improve the flow of trade. In addition, Slovakia is actively involved in investment projects within the Ukraine Investment Framework, financed by the EU budget. We do not look at Ukraine only as a country in the process of rebuilding but as a future strategic economic partner of Slovakia.
With Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok.
Slovak healthcare is currently dealing with a controversial ambulance tender. Critics point to the winners’ connections with your party HLAS-SD and to unclear criteria. What is your view – should ambulances be nationalized, as some politicians propose?
We welcome every proposal that aims to improve not only healthcare but every aspect of people’s lives in Slovakia. Politics should be about solutions, not culture wars and proxy issues. That is also the kind of politics pursued by Kamil Šaško, who pushed through a reform that improves the emergency medical system, something the HLAS party fully supports. We also welcome that Andrej Danko has finally come to understand this. As for us, it remains the case that we are willing to discuss every proposal, but we do not consider any proposal to be the only correct one in advance – and no one will negotiate any of them from a position of strength.
We live in divided countries, yet ties remain. What do you think connects Czechia and Slovakia today?
On my work trips to Czechia I see that, aside from the desire to live in safe countries, what unites us is mutual warmth, a love of nature, and also of good food and beer. Some things we do better (mountains) and some things you do (beer). I am glad that relations between our countries are good both at the political and business level as well as on the individual, personal level.
We are now anxiously awaiting the autumn elections. What would you wish for Czechia in that regard?
To our brothers and sisters in Czechia, I would wish what I wish for every democratic country – peaceful elections with the highest possible turnout and full respect for the results. Every person should be able to decide truly according to their own conscience and without outside interference. Recent findings by a British investigative journalist showed, for example, that in Slovakia there was British interference in the 2023 parliamentary elections. Interference by foreign countries is unacceptable, regardless of whether it comes from East or West. People in Slovakia have the right to decide for themselves – without manipulation and without outside lecturing. Moreover, if news had emerged that Russia tried to interfere in the elections, progressive circles and their allied media would have been full of calls, outrage, and protests. But when it comes to influence from the British side – silence. That is why I hope the same scenario will not repeat itself in the Czech Republic and that people will be able to decide truly freely, without any nudging.
The author is a staff writer for Deník.
CV BOX
Richard Raši (born April 2, 1971, in Košice) has been the Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and vice-chair of the HLAS-SD party since the end of March 2025.
In 1995, he finished his studies in general medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of Pavel Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and later also completed a first-degree surgery certification and a special exam in trauma surgery. He earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Slovak Medical University in Bratislava in 2004. In 2010, he finished his PhD studies at the Technical University of Košice.
Since 1995, he has worked at the Trauma Surgery Clinic at the L. Pasteur University Hospital in Košice, where he served as deputy director of preventive and therapeutic care from 2004. In March 2007, he was appointed director of the University Hospital Bratislava.
From 2007 to 2020, he was a member of the SMER-SD party but then moved to HLAS-SD. From 2010, he was the mayor of Košice for eight years and served as minister of health for two years starting in 2008. He also served twice as minister for investment, regional development, and informatization (2018–2020 and 2023–March 2025).
Raši is married and has three daughters.