Heger: Slovakia is experiencing times in its history and now is not the time to overthrow the government
7/6/2022 (Webnoviny.sk) – Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) called on the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party not to leave the government.
“Slovakia is experiencing times in its history, now is not the time to overthrow the government. , that colleagues from SaS decide to stay with us,” declared Heger at the press conference after the government meeting.
The Prime Minister’s statement is related to the extraordinary meeting of the Republican Council of the SaS party, which will decide on the next course of action and remaining in the coalition on Wednesday.
More on the topic: Coalition crisis, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic
Will SaS leave the government coalition? The Republican Council will decide on the party’s position in the current crisis
6/7/2022 (Webnoviny.sk) – The extraordinary expanded republican council of the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party is at the center of decisions on the position in the current coalition crisis.
When asked by the SITA agency whether SaS will demand the resignation of Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) from the position of Minister of Finance, the vice-chairman of the party Martin Klus replied that in the end the prime minister also said that all options are open.
“So that’s how we see it in the context of the discussion that awaits us on Wednesday. I myself am curious about what different possibilities will open up after that debate in order to get our operation in the coalition into a form that will not harm us all, because the development of the preferences of the coalition parties in the recent period also speaks for itself.” reviewed Klus.
MP Miroslav Žiak (SaS) said about the possible departure of Matovič from the government that he could not answer directly. “But I think it’s in Slovakia’s interest if we don’t want Robert Fico and Hlas-SD to return in such a grouping that they both form a government,” Žiak noted that Igor Matovič must pay attention to this.
To supplement the question of whether OĽaNO will then demand that SaS Minister of Economy and People Richard Sulík also leave the government, the deputy replied that it would be “very funny”. The student argued that Minister Sulík brought the Volvo investment to Slovakia with thousands of jobs. He added that Sulík is not even the most unpopular politician and minister in Slovakia.
Political scientist: If SaS leaves the coalition, the minority government of Eduard Heger would be dependent on the support of Kotlebov
After the eventual departure of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) from the government, this party would not commit to maintaining the minority cabinet of Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO).
Politician Juraj Marušiak said this to the SITA agency when commenting on one scenario of further development in the coalition in connection with the tension between the SaS party of Richard Sulík and the government movement Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) of Igor Matovič.
SaS will not be the guarantor of a minority government
Marušiak stated that the chances of a possible minority government depend on how such a government would be able to secure the support of non-coalition deputies in the parliament.
“I assume that SaS would not guarantee the maintenance of a minority government. It would be a shot in the foot for them if they left the government only to be able to continue it in a minority position. The government would have to rely on the Kotlebo people. There is a theoretical chance that the government could therefore save its life,” evaluated the politician.
However, he noted that in the rest of the coalition they would probably have to count on the opposition of some OĽaNO deputies, as indicated by the deputy Kristián Čekovský.
“It cannot be ruled out that even some MPs, when the Za lyű parties or those who still support the government, also left the OĽaNO club, pre-empted their decision. So the stability of the government would be threatened and it was a matter of time before such a government would collapse,” Marušiak zoomed in.
Matovič’s departure from the government
According to him, as a minority cabinet, early elections are more likely. “I rather see it this way, even though nothing can be predicted in Slovakia. Such a minority government would also lose its moral mandate. That would definitely be a serious problem. Likewise, from the point of view of international reputation, if the government were to lean on the party of the largest anti-democratic right. There is a government in Europe with the support of the populist right, but not one that has neo-Nazi roots and identity,” said Marusiak.
One of the possibilities that SaS could determine as a condition for remaining in the coalition is the departure of Matovič from the government and from the position of Minister of Finance.
The political scientist described such a possible request as justified in view of the conflicts in the coalition. “As for the realism of such a request, I allow myself to be skeptical. Igor Matovič is the leader of OĽaNO, he symbolizes and represents him. However, for this reason alone, the request is very problematic,” I think Marušiak.
According to him, if Matovič were to leave the government, he would return to the parliament, where he would express himself as the people of OĽaNO. “You will untie his hands even more. Even more, it will be able to act as an opposition to everything, including the government, in which OĽaNO has a dominant position. It would be a very wild ride.” concluded the political scientist.
source WebNoviny.sk © SITA All rights reserved