Drucker: Voice Can't Guarantee Support for Ministers If Agreements Disrespected

Bratislava, 20 November (TASR) - The coalition Voice-SD party can't guarantee that its MPs will vote for confidence in cabinet members if the agreements in the coalition aren't adhered to, Voice-SD vice-chair and Education Minister Tomas Drucker told a news conference held at the Education Ministry on Thursday. There are several no-confidence motions in ministers on the agenda of the next House session. Drucker reiterated that Voice-SD is demanding that the same standards should be applied when deciding on the resignations of government members. "We have an upcoming session, there are several proposals, and, I'm speaking very frankly, there are also no-confidence motions in members of the government. We can't guarantee that members of our caucus will vote for confidence in these members if agreements aren't respected," stated Drucker. According to Drucker, Voice-SD will always support the coalition as long as it fulfils the government manifesto. "But we're tired of tolerating things not related to the government manifesto just because we are decent," he said, adding that the party has been watching quarrels for three years, which he thinks is enough. Drucker stressed that Voice-SD wants the same standards to be applied. "If one minister offers his resignation for serious things in which human lives were at stake, we've viewed it as assuming responsibility for those who were in charge of that. However, the minister remained in his post. In a second, similar case, when there were suspicions, the premier takes action against the government member in conflict with the coalition agreement, not giving him space to evaluate the situation or take action against those responsible for that," he said. Drucker has been tasked with managing the Office of Vice-Premier for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy on a temporary basis as of Wednesday (19 November), replacing Peter Kmec (Voice-SD), who has been dismissed from the post. Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok said at the weekend that he respects Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) proposal to dismiss Kmec, but he doesn't understand it. He then called on Fico to use the same standards in relation to all ministers, including his own, pointing to the resignation offered to him by Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee). ko/df