bne IntelliNews – Slovakia faces minority cabinet as SaS party set to resign

Slovakia’s protracted coalition crisis is set to climax on Wednesday, the deadline given by the rightwing SaS party for the resignation of Minister of Finance Igor Matovic (OlaNo party). 

If Matovic does not resign by September 1,  SaS will leave the three-party coalition, depriving the cabinet led by Prime Minister Eduard Heger (also OlaNo) of its majority. The government will have just 67 seats in the 150-seat parliament.

Even though SaS has said it will support the government in votes of no-confidence, the loss of the majority will make an early election much more likely before the end of the government’s term in February 2024.

“There is a 99% probability we leave the coalition, unless a miracle happens this week,” Martin Barto, a member of SaS’ National Council, told bne IntelliNews. “I think early elections are likely,” he added. “It is very questionable whether the government will be able to function without SaS.”

The cabinet crisis has been triggered by the growing cost of living crisis in the country and what the SaS regards as the finance minister’s populist and chaotic response, which included going behind the back of his coalition partners to seek the support of neo-Nazi deputies to push through help to families.

Last week Heger tried to resolve the crisis by offering to reshuffle ministerial and state secretary posts in his cabinet. The offer was turned down by SaS because it did not include Matovic leaving the cabinet.

“There were no new proposals, OLaNO was merely inquiring about our positions towards cabinet proposals,”  Richard Sulik, chairman of SaS, told local media, adding that SaS support for the budget is unlikely. Barto told bne IntelliNews it it was unlikely the budget would be passed, forcing the government to continue with a provisional budget for 2023, using this year’s budget totals.

Sulik has also offered to resign as quid pro quo for Matovic’s departure, but this offer has not been taken up by the OLaNO leader.

Heger had remained hopeful ahead of Friday’s negotiations, which, however, reached another dead end. “These negotiations have been no waste of time. Every meeting brought some progress”, he claimed. 

Sunday’s television debates featuring ruling coalition politicians included a mixture of hopeful and conflicting statements….