After Richard Raši (Hlas-SD) resigned, Samuel Migaľ was appointed as the new Minister of Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization by President Peter Pellegrini. Migaľ had been serving as an independent MP after being expelled from the Hlas-SD party. He assumed the ministerial post based on an agreement he signed with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) while still an independent MP.
The deal aims to ensure the stability of the governing coalition while also securing new government positions. Fico announced on Wednesday that support from 79 MPs should be restored in the next parliamentary session. These changes followed an agreement between coalition parties to amend the coalition treaty and redistribute government positions. As part of this restructuring, Smer-SD took control of the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization, as well as the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The coalition treaty was modified in response to shifts in parliamentary alignments, as both SNS and Hlas-SD lost MPs from their clubs.
Migaľ replaces Richard Raši, who is a deputy chairman of Hlas-SD. Under the coalition agreement, Raši is expected to become the new Speaker of Parliament.
During the appointment ceremony, President Pellegrini pointedly told Migaľ that he was becoming a minister solely due to political agreements. He reminded the new minister that he was not assuming the position based on a strong public mandate or expertise in managing EU funds.
"You will be a member of the government solely on the basis of political agreements you made as a condition for your continued support of the governing coalition with the Prime Minister and the strongest coalition party, which has taken political responsibility for your ministry under the coalition agreement," Pellegrini stated.
The president noted that the public is unaware of the details of the political agreement that secured Migaľ the ministerial post, making it difficult to assess to what extent he will be able to implement the value-based policies he often spoke about.
Pellegrini also warned that such political appointments could set a dangerous precedent for democracy. He expressed concerns that this could mark the beginning of an era where the only requirement for obtaining a high state position is support for the governing coalition.
"People deserve to see ministerial positions primarily filled by individuals who have received a public mandate, possess education and experience in the given field, or have made significant contributions to building our country," the president emphasized.
"For democracy, it would be very dangerous if, in the future, instead of these values, securing a ministerial position required nothing more than a rebellion by a few MPs and sufficient pressure on the rest of the governing coalition. And it would be very dangerous if this case inspired others who see a ministerial seat as the only tool for advancing their own agenda," Pellegrini concluded.
Source: STVR
