Slovakia's government will meet late Oct. 4, with the heads of all four parties in the ruling coalition in attendance, to try to reach an agreement on the expansion of the revised European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). While it is still uncertain how the country will get the votes necessary to pass the EFSF through its parliament, it is likely that the vote will pass one way or another and that Slovakia will not derail the EFSF altogether. However, Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radicova may have to give costly political concessions to get the necessary votes, which is a sign of the rising domestic political pressures that leaders of eurozone countries are facing. Although Slovakia is the second-poorest member of the eurozone and one of its newest additions, Slovakia finds itself playing a very important role with regard to EFSF expansion. Slovakia is one of three remaining eurozone countries — along with Malta and the Netherlands — that have not yet approved the expansion of the EFSF. Legally, the revised EFSF would not be functional until all states have ratified it. Eurozone leaders have been courting Slovakia on the issue. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble highlighted the importance of Slovakia's vote, saying, "They are deciding not just for themselves, but also for all in Europe." In addition, several European leaders, including German President Christian Wulff and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, have paid visits to Slovakia recently to make sure the government is committed to passing the vote. Slovakia is scheduled to vote on the EFSF sometime between Oct. 11 and Oct. 15, ahead of an Oct. 17 summit of EU leaders on the issue. However, there remain significant political obstacles to Slovakia's ratification of the EFSF, which requires a simple majority in the parliament. While Radicova's ruling Slovak Democratic and Christian Movement (SDKU) party supports ratification, Radicova finds herself in a precarious political position. First, Radicova's coalition only has a slim majority (79 seats in the 150-member parliament, of which SDKU has 28) and depends on three other parties — Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), the Christian Democrats and the Hungarian party Most-Hid — for the coalition to hold. Additionally, junior coalition partner SaS, which has 22 of the coalition's 79 seats, has until recently been opposed to strengthening the EFSF altogether, though it has now said it is open to the idea but only with serious conditions attached. This could require Radicova to go to the opposition Smer-Socialist Democratic Party, which has 62 parliamentary seats and is led by former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, to get the votes necessary to ratify the EFSF. However, Fico also has demanded some serious concessions from Radicova in exchange for his party's votes, calling for either a government reshuffle or snap elections to be held — a calculated move since Smer is currently leading Slovakia's parties in opinion polls. This therefore makes the deliberations of the coalition parties significant. SaS has recently moderated its position and said it would vote for the EFSF, but only if there is no cost to Slovak taxpayers, meaning that Slovakia would not guarantee a contribution to the new EFSF. Under the revised EFSF, Slovakia's contribution would be increased from 4.3 billion euros to 7.7 billion euros ($5.7 billion to $10 billion). However, Slovakia's ability to ratify the EFSF vote with this provision is legally dubious, and it could be that SaS is using the provision as a bargaining tool to gain other concessions. Either way, Radicova faces challenges, as the Slovak leader appears to be committed to ratifying the expanded EFSF — even if it costs her the premiership. It thus appears that Radicova will have to make concessions one way or another — whether domestically to gain the support of the opposition or, if the vote does not pass, in terms of her country's status and perception within the eurozone. If the Slovak government faces a shake-up over the issue and falls because of the EFSF, it could be a sign of the growing political challenges to come for eurozone governments.