Sutaj Estok: Coalition Moving Towards Agreement

Bratislava, February 13 (TASR) - The coalition is moving towards an agreement that should secure a majority in Parliament, said Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok on Thursday. According to Sutaj Estok, Voice-SD has offered the post of vice-premier for the recovery plan to Smer-SD. At the same time, he informed the media about his talks with Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko and Independent MP Rudolf Huliak (an SNS renegade). "I'm holding intensive talks with Mr. Danko, and with Mr. Huliak. I would like to praise a constructive approach by both gentlemen. I dare say that we are moving towards an agreement with these representatives of political forces in Parliament so that this governing coalition will have a majority secured in it," he stated. Sutaj Estok again rejected a snap general election. He would view this as resigning from election premises. He confirmed that during the negotiations on the situation in the coalition, Voice offered Smer the post of vice-premier for the recovery plan, which is currently occupied by Peter Kmec (Voice-SD). "We are very well aware of our responsibility for the fact that three MPs quit the Voice caucus," he said. At the same time, Sutaj Estok informed the media about negotiations that are being held with Voice MP Jan Ferencak, one of the rebels around ex-Voice MP Samuel Migal. "He made some personnel demands," he said. Sutaj Estok said that he's not holding talks with Radomir Salitros or Migal, who were expelled from Voice-SD. Coalition representatives are continuing their negotiations on the situation in the coalition. Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said that if Voice-SD and SNS don't reach an internal party agreement with their MPs and fail to secure the restoration of a stable parliamentary majority by Monday (February 17), he will propose government changes to President Peter Pellegrini on that day. In reaction, coalition SNS leader Andrej Danko published an open letter to the premier, declaring that Fico's solution to the crisis is a serious violation of the coalition agreement. The governing coalition had 79 MPs at the beginning of the electoral term. However, three MPs, Rudolf Huliak, Pavol Luptak and Ivan Sevcik, quit the SNS caucus last year. The Voice-SD party lost three MPs this year when Roman Malatinec joined the SNS renegades and Radomir Salitros and Samuel Migal were expelled from the party. The MPs around Huliak have declared their readiness to help the coalition fulfil the government manifesto. However, they pointed out that negotiations are still going on and that everything depends on their outcome. Several ministers have admitted that changes in the government could take place related to changes in the distribution of power in Parliament. ko/df