The Slovak government failed in Thursday's parliamentary vote of confidence. In the morning, in order to save the cabinet, Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) also offered to resign from the position of Minister of Finance.
The government in Bratislava ran out of air, so the cabinet failed in Thursday's decisive parliamentary vote, Új Szó reported on Thursday afternoon. Seventy-eight deputies voted in favor of dismissing the ministers and the prime minister, and twenty abstained. A total of one hundred and two fathers-in-law were present in the parliament.
Michal Šipoš, the faction leader of OĽaNO, asked the representatives of his movement to leave the parliament session hall right before the vote. "We will not participate in the execution of another anti-corruption government," Šipoš added.
In the morning, in order to save the situation, Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) also offered to resign from the position of Minister of Finance. But only if SaS withdraws its motion against the government and also votes on the state budget. The departure of the finance minister was considered an acceptable sacrifice by some OĽaNO politicians, but others in the movement considered it a betrayal.
However, SaS rejected Matovič's offer, according to them, the fall was inevitable. In their afternoon announcement, they wrote that the government no longer deserves their trust, as it has lost its anti-corruption character. They also reminded that they cannot support the current draft of the budget. They added that they are not willing to contribute to the maintenance of the current chaos.
Before the decisive vote, several independent representatives stated that if the government and the opposition do not agree on the date of the early parliamentary election, they will vote for the fall of the cabinet.
According to the Alliance of Hungarian parties, elections in Slovakia should be called as soon as possible.
"E. Heger's government lost the trust of the voters a long time ago, and today the parliament has withdrawn its trust from it as well. The vote of no confidence put an end to the incompetent government and the coalition chaos that has been going on since September," read the statement issued by the Association.
"The Alliance party once again calls on the authorities to find the most optimal and fastest solution for calling early elections. In this situation, Slovakia needs a solution that returns the right to decide the future of Slovakia to the voters. It's time for new elections."
Source: Magyar Hírlap /Felvidek.ma
Featured image: Wikimapia
