Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová today called for the resignation of Prime Minister Igor Matovič, who in the current government crisis is facing pressure from part of the government coalition to leave the head of the cabinet. The head of state did so after receiving the resignation during the day of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Richard Sulík and Minister of Justice Mária Kolíková. In less than two weeks, four of the 16 members of Matovic’s government have resigned. Due to tense relations between the governing parties, the Speaker of the Parliament Boris Kollár suspended the Chamber of Deputies’ meeting for a week, which also has bills related to the pandemic on the agenda.
“It is inevitable that the Prime Minister, with his resignation, will enable the conclusion of an agreement between coalition partners on the reconstruction of the government. The position and position of no man are and must not be more important than the interests of the country and its citizens.”
According to the Slovak constitution, if Matovič resigned, it would mean the fall of the entire government, which took office a year ago. A four-member coalition, which has a constitutional majority in the lower house, could then create a new cabinet.
Matovič already expressed his willingness to resign at the weekend but conditioned the step by meeting several requirements. One of them was the resignation of Sulík, with whom the Prime Minister is in a long-running dispute connected with the coronavirus crisis. According to the survey, more than four-fifths of Slovaks want Matovič, whose desire from the government wants to leave, also spoke about Kolíková’s resignation in connection with his possible resignation.
Sulík’s Freedom and Solidarity Party (SaS) gave Matovič time to resign by Wednesday. Otherwise, according to Sulík, the Ministers of Education and Foreign Affairs, nominated by the SaS, will also resign on Thursday. In the event of SaS leaving the government, the cabinet in the Chamber of Deputies would retain only a narrow majority. Matovič’s resignation is demanded by even the smallest government party, For the People. Its vice-president and former justice minister Kolíková also addressed herself to the prime minister.
For example, Sulík justified the call for Matovič’s resignation from the prime minister’s position by stating that, according to him, Matovič is not personally, communicatively, or managerially able to lead the country.
According to available information, in the event of his resignation, Matovič would like to hold the newly created position of Deputy Prime Minister for the Fight against Corruption in the next government, which was one of the main agendas of his Movement of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) before last year’s elections. But Sulík is against creating a new post in the cabinet.
The Minister of Defense for OLaNO Jaroslav Naď said in a discussion program on Markíza television that Matovič could be replaced at the government’s head by his party colleague and Minister of Finance Eduard Heger. Sulík has also previously welcomed such a possible nomination. Unlike Matovič, Heger is also described by the media as a conciliatory politician.
The head of parliament and government movement We are the families Kollár said today that the government crisis needs to be resolved within a week; otherwise, we will leave the coalition. It arose after the elections held in February 2020. The Social Democrats of former Prime Minister (Direction-SD) Robert Fico ended up in opposition after the previous long-term rule.
In the current government crisis, Minister of Health Marek Krajčí has already resigned from OLaNO. Subsequently, the Minister of Social Affairs from the We Are Family family, Milan Krajniak, resigned. Their successors have not yet been appointed. Other members of the government temporarily run the ministries mentioned. After Sulík’s resignation, the Ministry of Economy will be headed for the time being by the Minister of Transport Andrej Doležal, who is already the Deputy Minister of Social Affairs. The head of the Ministry of Justice will temporarily be headed by the head of the For People party, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment, Regional Development and Informatics Veronika Remišová.
According to the Slovak constitution, if Matovič resigned, it would mean the fall of the entire government, which took office a year ago. A four-member coalition, which has a constitutional majority in the lower house, could then create a new cabinet.
Matovič already expressed his willingness to resign at the weekend but conditioned the step by meeting several requirements. One of them was the resignation of Sulík, with whom the Prime Minister is in a long-running dispute connected with the coronavirus crisis. According to the survey, more than four-fifths of Slovaks want Matovič, whose desire from the government wants to leave, also spoke about Kolíková’s resignation in connection with his possible resignation.
Sulík’s Freedom and Solidarity Party (SaS) gave Matovič time to resign by Wednesday. Otherwise, according to Sulík, the Ministers of Education and Foreign Affairs, nominated by the SaS, will also resign on Thursday. In the event of SaS leaving the government, the cabinet in the Chamber of Deputies would retain only a narrow majority. Matovič’s resignation is demanded by even the smallest government party, For the People. Its vice-president and former justice minister Kolíková also addressed herself to the prime minister.
For example, Sulík justified the call for Matovič’s resignation from the prime minister’s position by stating that, according to him, Matovič is not personally, communicatively, or managerially able to lead the country.
According to available information, in the event of his resignation, Matovič would like to hold the newly created position of Deputy Prime Minister for the Fight against Corruption in the next government, which was one of the main agendas of his Movement of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) before last year’s elections. But Sulík is against creating a new post in the cabinet.
The Minister of Defense for OLaNO Jaroslav Naď said in a discussion program on Markíza television that Matovič could be replaced at the government’s head by his party colleague and Minister of Finance Eduard Heger. Sulík has also previously welcomed such a possible nomination. Unlike Matovič, Heger is also described by the media as a conciliatory politician.
The head of parliament and government movement We are the families Kollár said today that the government crisis needs to be resolved within a week; otherwise, we will leave the coalition. It arose after the elections held in February 2020. The Social Democrats of former Prime Minister (Direction-SD) Robert Fico ended up in opposition after the previous long-term rule.
In the current government crisis, Minister of Health Marek Krajčí has already resigned from OLaNO. Subsequently, the Minister of Social Affairs from the We Are Family family, Milan Krajniak, resigned. Their successors have not yet been appointed. Other members of the government temporarily run the ministries mentioned. After Sulík’s resignation, the Ministry of Economy will be headed for the time being by the Minister of Transport Andrej Doležal, who is already the Deputy Minister of Social Affairs. The head of the Ministry of Justice will temporarily be headed by the head of the For People party, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investment, Regional Development and Informatics Veronika Remišová.