Struggles within the Slovak coalition are reaching new level. After the Thursday ceremony, during which the president Zuzana Čaputová accepted the resignations of Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok and Education Minister Branislav Gröhling, both ministers representing the junior coalition party Freedom and Solidarity, the party leader Richard Sulík announced the party is halting its participation in the coalition for now. Sulík conditioned this move with Prime Minister Igor Matovič refusing to step down from his position as well as the talks on Matovič moving to another position in the government.
On Wednesday, the OĽaNO movement of Igor Matovič claimed in a statement that it is Richard Sulík, who "has decided to overthrow yet another democratic government". "It is unfortunate to prefer one's own ministerial chair to the country's future," the movement said in a statement refering to Sulík's statement, that if Matovič remains in the government, however in a different position, he plans to return to the post of Economy Minister. As for now, Sulík claims that the negotiations within the coalition are at point zero and might resume only after Matovič resigns.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď of OĽaNO, who became also the interim Foreign Minister on Thursday, said that by the beginning of next week the basic functioning of the coalition should be resolved. Naď personally would not consider it a problem if Freedom and Solidarity ministers Ivan Korčok and Branislav Gröhling returned to their ministries in the reconstructed government. According to Naď, the reason why Prime Minister Igor Matovič has not yet resigned is that the positions of the outgoing ministers have not yet been agreed. He says the departure of the prime minister must be the last thing. Unless there is an agreement in the four-party coalition, he admits the idea of a three-party coalition.
The four-party coalition stands and falls on an agreement between Igor Matovič and Richard Sulík, said For the People party leader Veronika Remišová, calling on the two to reach an accord as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Chair and We Are Family leader Boris Kollar conceded the need for a snap election if the crisis is not resolved by the end of next week.
