KDH: Minister Sutaj Estok Is Polarising Figure, We Voted for His Ouster

Bratislava, November 29 (TASR) - Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) has failed to put an end to the chaos like he promised; on the contrary, his actions are working to polarise society, intensify conflicts and bring shame on Slovakia at the international level, the Christian Democrats' (KDH) caucus chair Martin Holeckova declared after the minister survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament on Wednesday. KDH voted for the Interior Minister's ouster. "It took only a few days for the minister to convince us and the public, by his steps and arrogant behavior, that he needed to go," claimed Holeckova. She added that Sutaj Estok has failed to defuse the situation, provide order and ensure the proper democratic functioning of institutions. KDH also excoriated the minister for his failure to end the internecine war within the police and for publicly threatening a judge only because the judge handed down a verdict that Sutaj Estok didn't like. "Even though the minister was hyperactive in his hunt for fictitious refugees, throughout his entire time in office he hasn't been able to pick up a phone and call the head of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers once," added Holeckova. Only 61 lawmakers out of the 136 present voted for the minister's ouster in Parliament, whereas 76 votes were needed. The opposition sought to dismiss Sutaj Estok over the purges in the police and unlawful suspension of NAKA investigators. mf/df