Parliament to Debate Motion to Dismiss Defence Minister Kalinak on Wednesday

Bratislava, 2 June (TASR) - Parliament is expected to debate a motion to dismiss Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) on Wednesday, 3 June. According to information published on Parliament's website, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) has convened a special emergency parliamentary session on the matter for 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The dismissal motion was initiated by the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH). The party accuses the minister of failures related to the construction of a hospital in Presov. Together with other opposition parties, it's argued that the project will become more expensive and face delays. In the opposition's view, the minister should bear responsibility for this. Kalinak rejected the criticism, describing it as politically motivated. Lawmakers from the ruling Smer-SD party see no reason to open the session. House vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) said at a press conference on Tuesday that he doesn't believe that KDH's claims are based on objective reality. He rejected what he described as attempts to create a preconceived image of excessive costs. "If a builder or contractual partner of the Defence Ministry has failed in terms of the quality of its work, there is a construction contract between the parties. That contract presumably addresses defects in construction quality and who is responsible for compensation. Therefore, I have no doubt that the state will seek compensation for such damage," he said. mf/df