MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, June 13, 2021, 2021 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, June 11): NEW POSITIVE PCR TESTS: 91 Positive PCR tests in total: 390,984 NEW POSITIVE ANTIGEN TESTS: 71 Positive antigen tests in total: 386,141 NEW DEATHS: 3 Deaths in total: 12,436 PEZINOK - The coalition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stands fully behind the Government, led by Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO), and it fully supports all its members, SaS leader and Economy Minister Richard Sulik stated at the SaS party congress in Pezinok (Bratislava region) on Saturday. Sulik firmly believes that the next parliamentary election will be held in February 2024 and that there won't be an early election. Sulik admitted that last year's start of Igor Matovic's (OLaNO) Government was "very unconvincing". "It was also because we were all completely new to the Government. I had some kind of experience from Iveta Radicova's Cabinet, all the other ministers were new in this regard," he said. According to him, SaS enforced the change in the post of prime minister because the functioning in the government headed by prime minister Matovic was complicated and conflicting. "Now it has stabilised," said Sulik, who on behalf of SaS expressed support for the current head of the Government, Eduard Heger. PEZINOK - The Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has elected eight missing members to the Republican Council at its congress held in Pezinok (Bratislava region) on Saturday, TASR learnt on the same day. Martin Klus received most votes from among 26 candidates. SaS chairman Richard Sulik called him a "clear winner" of the election. Michal Uhercik, who'll run for the post of Martin (Zilina region) mayor in the next election, has also become a member of the council. PEZINOK - I cannot imagine future cooperation with the extra-parliamentary Voice-SD party led by Independent MP and former premier Peter Pellegrini, chairman of the junior coalition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party Richard Sulik said at the end of the party congress held in Pezinok (Bratislava region) on Saturday, calling Voice-SD "disguised Smer". "My personal feeling is that after Pellegrini has skyrocketed, the fame will fade a bit, and I expect it to slowly decline. I'm even ready to bet that if the election takes place in proper date, Pellegrini won't be the winner of this election," said Sulik. BRATISLAVA - The senior coalition OLaNO party stands behind its Interior Minister Roman Mikulec who is set to face a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Tuesday (June 15), Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) said, adding that he plans to speak on behalf of the Government in Parliament and express his support to the minister, or Finance Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) will do so. Heger claims that chairman of the opposition Smer-SD party Robert Fico accuses Mikulec of a case that he himself "fabricated". "He made the accusations himself with his subordinates. If he were a responsible politician, he would have no reason to control the security forces in such a way that he fabricated artificial evidence against Mikulec. It was political criminalisation," said the premier. PEZINOK - Two barristers from Bratislava identified only as Martin R. and Alexander F. won't be prosecuted in custody, a pre-trial judge of the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok (Bratislava region) decided on Saturday, STS spokesperson Katarina Kudjakova told TASR on the same day. am