Monitor: Tomas: Rasi Our First Choice for House Chair

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', November 10) Voice-SD's first choice as its House chair nominee is Richard Rasi, but it can envision also Matus Sutaj Estok in the post, Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) stated on RTVS's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. The party intends to address all nomination issues as a single matter. According to SaS leader Branislav Groehling, Tomas' opposite number on the show, Voice-SD plans to move Sutaj Estok from the Interior Ministry to the helm of Parliament because it's not happy with his poor performance as the minister. "Richard Rasi is our first choice. But if the name of Matus Sutaj Estok is more passable, we can envision him as well," said Tomas. Voice-SD intends to link the election of the House chair with the election of STVR Board members at a session of the coalition council. It insists on all its nominations, adding that they are all hand-picked experts. In case Sutaj Estok becomes the House chair, the party won't give up the Interior Ministry to SNS, as that would fly against the coalition agreement. Tomas rejected the notion that the coalition is mired in a crisis, pointing out that laws get passed in Parliament and hostile relations within the SNS are up to Danko to resolve. This view was rejected by Groehling, who believes that the coalition or the "hodgepodge of hodgepodges" is dysfunctional. Groehling also doesn't believe that Parliament passes laws smoothly and is convinced that Sutaj Estok will be installed at the helm of Parliament because the Government and the coalition is not happy with his performance. "If Andrej Danko managed to do it [head the Parliament -ed.note], Matus Sutaj Estok can too," commented Groehling. mf