FINANCE Minister Ivan Mikloš survived a vote of no confidence in parliament on March 17, as only 62 of the needed 76 MPs voted for his removal.
As many as 23 MPs, including the ruling Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) and two New Citizen’s Alliance MPs refrained from voting, expressing reservations about the minister.
Zsolt Komlósy from the SMK told the Slovak daily SME that his party’s stance was a “kind of a warning for the minister that next time we might consider voting differently.” He said that several steps taken by the Finance Ministry were not in line with the ideas of the SMK, mainly in the area of some laws effecting the tax and social spheres.
MPs from the Free Forum party, most former Slovak Democratic and Christian Union colleagues of Mikloš, did not vote.
PM Mikuláš Dzurinda welcomed the outcome, stating that Mikloš was a “motor of reform” in Slovakia.
Mikloš admitted that he had made mistakes and that he was prepared to discuss them.
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
