Pandemic crisis and Sputnik V: resigned by Slovak Prime Minister

The President of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputova, nominated the Minister of Finance, Eduard Heger, as Prime Minister.

Heger is a member of the conservative populist party “Ordinary People and Independent Personalities” (OLaNO) led by Matovich.

Controversy within the ruling coalition escalated dramatically this month when Matovich’s agreement with Russia on the purchase of two million doses of Sputnik V vaccine came to light. Other government parties believe that the Sputnik V vaccine should only be used in Slovakia if it is approved by the European Medicines Agency, while Matovich stressed that a Russian vaccine was needed to vaccinate in the face of a shortage of vaccines purchased by the European Union.

The two parties in the coalition, the Liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and the Central People’s Party, which have been in regular conflict with OLaNO over the strategy for fighting the coronavirus pandemic, have previously stated that the coalition can only be maintained if Matovich will resign.

Last Sunday, Matovich announced that he was ready to resign if the government was left by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Richard Sulik, who heads the SaS, and Minister of Justice Marija Kolikova, who represents the party “For People”. A total of six ministers from four parties, including Suliks and Kolikova, resigned last week.

However, the SaS rejected a number of other conditions put forward by Matovich, including that the SaS must renounce one of the three ministries. This Sunday, Matovich said he was relinquishing any other conditions “for the coalition to continue,” and the other three parties – SaS, “For the People” and the right-wing populist “We are a family” – expressed readiness to remain in the coalition.

None of the four ruling coalition parties want early parliamentary elections, as opinion polls suggest that the opposition Social Democrats would win.