Slovakialed by the OLANO party (ORDINARY PEOPLE and Independent Personalities) and Prime Minister Eduard Heger, was overturned yesterday when 78 of the 120 MPs present in parliament backed a no-confidence motion in the government. The result came despite several protracted rounds of negotiations that aimed to avoid a negative outcome for the government.
Heger’s cabinet had hoped to survive the vote until the end. Finance Minister Igor Matovic has even offered to resign if the opposition withdraws its motion of censure. The deputies gathered in the hemicycle of the National Council at 5 p.m. (CET) ready to vote, but the discussions lasted another 90 minutes.
Information from the different political camps was contradictory: some predicted the fall of the government and others its survival. It seemed like no one – including coalition members – knew what the outcome would be. When the government finally learned of his fate, it came as a shock to many.
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova Accepted the government’s resignation on Friday afternoon. She also called on the coalition to continue governing the country until a snap election can be called.
The fall of an unexpected winner
The OLANO movement led by Igor Matovic surprised practically everyone with the support it received during the February 2020 parliamentary elections, receiving more than 25% of all votes cast. After almost 12 years of social democratic government led by the Smer party (2006-2010 and 2012-2020), Slovak voters were hungry for change.
No one had really expected such support for the OLANO movement. Pre-election polls indicated he had only 5-6% support among the electorate.
Matovic’s OLANO movement entered the political arena as an anti-corruption party at a time when there were many major corruption cases, mostly related to Smer members. Matovic promised to end Smer’s rule and remove the stain of corruption and injustice from national institutions, and people believed him.
The fight against corruption and poor management
While in office, the OLANO-led coalition government appeared to deliver on many of the movement’s promises. Shortly after the election, many allegedly corrupt politicians were investigated by the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) and are now facing prosecution.
The government of Igor Matovic and then his successor, Eduard Heger, also pushed many reforms through parliament, including reform of the judiciary, health care and hospitals.
However, as many political experts have pointed out, the weakness of the coalition government lies in its style of communication, both within the coalition and with the public.
Igor Matovic as stumbling block
Igor Matovic led the government as Prime Minister from 2020 to 2021. As the leader of the strongest political party, he had the support of voters and coalition members.
However, after several public attacks on members of the government – mainly against Richard Sulik, head of coalition partner Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) – he was forced to resign in April 2021 and was appointed Minister of Finance.
The management of Slovak public finances under Finance Minister Matovic created even more tension between Sulik and Matovic. After months of conflict, the gap between their respective parties could not be bridged. Sulik called on Matovic to leave the government, but Matovic refused. As a result, the Freedom and Solidarity party left the coalition after the summer recess, leaving a minority government at the head of the country.
No trust in government
It was Richard Sulik who initiated the vote of no confidence in early December, arguing that the coalition was no longer acting effectively as an anti-corruption force. Now that the motion of no confidence has passed, it is not yet clear what will happen next.
In the event of an early election, polls currently suggest that the two social democratic parties, Smer and Hlas, would be in the lead. Members of both parties are being investigated by the National Criminal Agency for corruption, but Smer leader Robert Fico says the charges are fabricated and politically motivated.
Another party doing well is the Republika movement, whose members were once members of the neo-Nazi far-right People’s Party Our Slovakia. However, other parties such as Progressive Slovakia or Freedom and Solidarity could also enter parliament.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan
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