Minister Migal Accuses President of Attempting to Overthrow Government

Bratislava, 1 October (TASR) – Investment, Regional Development, and Informatisation Minister Samuel Migal (Independent) has returned to his post after undergoing heart surgery, and at a press conference on Wednesday, he emphasised that he isn't going anywhere and is determined to continue working. According to him, his position won't be an excuse for the government to collapse. Migal spoke of President Peter Pellegrini's "diabolical plan" to overthrow the government and replace it with a caretaker one. "I'm asking, what's going on here? Is President Pellegrini's diabolical plan, which I've already spoken about publicly, still in play, to replace this government with a caretaker one, thereby strengthening his powers and making it easier for him to intervene in domestic politics and influence it? The plan is supposed to be simple. Put pressure on Prime Minister Robert Fico [Smer-SD] to dismiss me and, through this step, trigger the fall of this government so that his caretaker government can replace it," said Migal. The Informatisation Ministry head emphasised that his position won't be used as a pretext for the collapse of the government, stressing that he won't be part of gambling with Slovakia's future. He's planning to continue implementing the government manifesto and doing his best to ensure that the ministry functions properly. Migal told his coalition partners in the Voice-SD party to keep their intrigues for their internal decay. At the same time, he told the Presidential Palace that he stands behind the government of which he is a part and won't succumb to pressure and intrigues. am/mcs