Sutaj Estok Rejects Claims of Voice-SD's Shift Toward Opposition

Bratislava, 12 August (TASR) – Chair of the junior coalition party Voice-SD and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok dismissed claims suggesting his party is leaning towards the opposition as fabricated and, in his video statement posted on social media on Tuesday, questioned why coalition partners would accuse Voice-SD of such a move, arguing they would not be in power without his party’s decision to join the coalition in the first place. The statement came in response to remarks made earlier in the day by Prime Minister and leader of the coalition party Smer-SD Robert Fico. Fico stated he was unsure about the current level of affinity between Voice-SD and Progressive Slovakia (PS), claiming that such leanings had always existed within the upper ranks of Voice-SD. Sutaj Estok emphasised that with its political decision, Voice-SD played an instrumental role in putting together the current government and coalition. „We earned open hatred from the entire liberal sphere, the media, and professional haters for that decision. That is why I sincerely do not understand why we are being accused of a fictional inclination towards the opposition by coalition partners — who would not be governing today without our decision,” he said. Sutaj Estok added that the key challenge for all government parties is to find solutions in the fields of their respective ministries and resolve contentious issues through the coalition council. „We have never asked for anything other than adherence to the coalition agreement and agreed-upon rules. We have repeatedly called on our coalition partners to resolve disputes behind closed doors at the coalition council, not publicly in the media,” Sutaj Estok stated. Prime Minister Fico also said that Parliament should examine suspicions of British interference in the 2023 Slovak parliamentary elections. He wants to determine the extent to which a UK-based campaign may have benefited the opposition movement Progressive Slovakia and whether campaign spending limits were breached. Fico expects the Slovak National Party (SNS), also part of the coalition, to share his concerns, although he said he was unsure about Voice-SD’s position on the matter. Opposition leader Michal Simecka of Progressive Slovakia responded by accusing Fico of trying to divert attention away from the ambulance tender scandal. mf/mcs