Head of Slovakia party resigns over crisis around Sputnik V
The leader of one of the parties in Slovakia’s ruling coalition has resigned his government to help open the way for a reconstituted Cabinet amid a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia’s coronavirus vaccine
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The leader of one of the parties in Slovakia’s ruling coalition resigned his government post Monday to help open the way for a reconstituted Cabinet amid a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia’s coronavirus vaccine.
Freedom and Solidarity party leader Richard Sulik, who served as a deputy prime minister and as Slovakia's economy minister, said he believed his step “will contribute to solving the government’s crisis.”
Freedom and Solidarity, as well as another partner party in the country's year-old governing coalition, For People had demanded that Slovakian Prime Minister Igor Matovic resign as a condition for the four-party coalition to survive. They threatened to leave the government, if the prime minister did not step down.
Matovic said he was ready to do that, if Sulik also resigned. The two men clashed repeatedly over how to handle the pandemic.
Matovic suggested he would remain in the government as an unspecified minister, but Sulik dismissed that idea.
Sulik also rejected some of Matovic’s other conditions for a deal to preserve the coalition, including a request for Sulik’s party to give up one of the three ministries it holds.
The crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light two weeks ago involving Slovakia’s agreement to acquire 2 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. The populist prime minister orchestrated the deal despite disagreement among his coalition partners.
Matovic has defended the Sputnik V purchase, saying it would speed up the country’s vaccination program.
But the two parties that demanded his resignation said the deal cast doubts on Slovakia's clear pro-Western orientation. They said they wanted any vaccines used in the country to be approved by the European Union s medicines regulator, which has not authorized Sputnik V.
Matovic and his Ordinary People party struck a deal a year ago to govern with the pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party, the conservative For People, and We Are Family, a populist right-wing group that was allied with France’s far-right National Rally party.
Slovakia, a nation of 5.4 million residents, has reported almost 350,000 confirmed virus cases with 9,104 deaths.
___
Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at:
https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak