House Inquorate, Fails to Open Session on Minister Sutaj Estok's Ouster

Bratislava, 23 April (TASR) - Parliament failed to open a special session with a no-confidence motion in Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) as the sole point on the agenda on Thursday, as only 65 lawmakers presented themselves at the second attempt, which wasn't enough for the House to be quorate. The next attempt to open the session will take place at 8 a.m. on Friday (24 April). The no-confidence motion was initiated by the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party with the support of other opposition parties. The opposition argued that a number of decisions and steps have been taken during Sutaj Estok's tenure as minister that have raised 'serious doubts' about adherence to the rule of law, the stability and professionalism of the Police Corps, the transparency and predictability of the ministry's management, and the preservation of public trust in security institutions. The minister has rejected the criticism. According to him, the opposition is incapable of coming up with anything other than a motion to dismiss him. He reproached it for the failure to offer any solutions or a better vision for Slovakia. ko/df