Economy & Environment ministers survive no-confidence motions

Economy Minister Richard Sulik (SaS) survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament on Tuesday, as only 56 out of 142 lawmakers voted for his ouster, with 84 against and two abstaining. The no-confidence motion was initiated by opposition Smer-SD, citing Sulik's alleged lack of effort to alleviate the effects of energy price hikes, which are havng a drastic impact on living standards. In a separate matter, Environment Minister Jan Budaj (OLaNO) also survived an opposition-sponsored vote for his dismissal on Tuesday, with 52 lawmakers voting for, 83 against and one abstaining. The issue in Budaj’s case was his alleged failure to manage the situation regarding the growing populations of brown bears in Slovakia, along with other ecological matters.