Democracy Digest: Hungary, Slovakia Prepare for Papal Visit; Polish Coalition Wobbles

Now it seems that Orban and Ader will, after all, have a 45-minute audience with Pope Francis, who will leave the same day to start his three-day visit to Slovakia.

That planned visit also has a whiff of controversy about it after Slovak Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky announced that only fully immunised people will be allowed to attend religious events during Pope Francis's visit - only the second papal visit to Slovakia in nearly 20 years, despite the country's strong Catholic roots.

The decision is part of a wider set of proposals Lengvarsky laid out that comprise the plans by the government to deal with the imminent third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Theatres, concerts, sporting events, restaurants and hairdressers will keep their doors open only to those in possession of a valid European vaccination certificate, Lengvarsky said, while promising to avoid a third national lockdown. Parliament is set to vote on Lengvarsky's exemptions for the vaccinated during its special July session.

Public health officials decided to limit attendance to the papal events to those with two jabs in the hope of sparking interest in the faltering vaccination campaign. According to the Dennik N daily, Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million, has one of the worst vaccination rates in Europe with only 42 per cent of the population receiving their first jab and less than 34 per cent with both doses. Across the EU, those rates stand at 56 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively.

In a bid to boost the vaccination rate, the Slovak government recently launched a weekly lottery prize of 2 million euros for all vaccinated Slovaks, while a fee of 30 to 90 euros is also available to "middlemen" who persuade others to get a jab.

Still, only a handful...