Parliament Rejects No-confidence Motions in Seven Ministers

Bratislava, 10 February (TASR) - MPs rejected the opposition's motions to dismiss seven ministers in no-confidence votes held in Parliament on Tuesday. The ministers concerned were Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (both Voice-SD), Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (both Slovak National Party/SNS nominees), Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD), Investment and Informatisation Minister Samuel Migal (Independent) and Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee). The motion to dismiss Interior Minister Sutaj Estok was filed by the opposition as early as in December 2024 in response to the situation in the police force, which the opposition parties say is falling apart. The minister was also criticised for scrapping the National Crime Agency (NAKA), neglecting the problem of police brutality and insufficient measures to deal with bomb threats at schools. A vote of no confidence in Health Minister Sasko was initiated by the opposition in August 2025 over a non-transparent ambulance services tender, allegedly with pre-arranged winners. As for Culture Minister Simkovicova, the motion was submitted by the opposition in February 2025. It argued that she lacks expertise, doesn't possess previous experience in culture or professional credibility and isn't well-versed in the culture sector. The opposition also sought the ouster of Environment Minister Taraba in the same month, stating that he's undermining the protection of nature, dismantling the ministry's expert institutions and reversing national park reforms. Taraba was also criticised for his level of communication and conduct with regard to the planned Malinec pumped-storage plant. The motion to dismiss Defence Minister Kalinak was submitted in March 2025 for his failure to declare ownership of his wife's villa in Croatia in his property declaration. He opposition argued that concealing such information is forbidden under Slovakia's constitutional law. Investment and Informatisation Minister Migal also faced an ouster attempt initiated in October 2025 over the poor rate at which EU funds have been drawn and frozen funds for municipalities. In particular, he was criticised for the procurement of IT solutions for the slovensko.sk e-government website. Finally, the opposition submitted a no-confidence motion in Transport Minister Raz in November 2025, citing several recent railway accidents as the main reason. jrg/df