General Ľubomír Bulík, chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces, still wants to quit his post even though Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko (SaS) withdrew a proposal for his recall from a cabinet session held last week. Galko’s move came in the wake of the collapse of the centre-right government after it lost a vote of confidence in parliament on October 11.
"The chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces is closely watching the political happenings in Slovakia but insists on his application to be relieved of his post. He is also aware of his responsibility for the stability of the Slovak Armed Forces and will, therefore, consult on the potential continuation of his service with the new defence minister," armed forces acting spokesperson Peter Michnica said, as reported by the SITA newswire.
Galko announced following the cabinet session last week that ministers did not discuss Bulík's dismissal. This was "due to the government’s collapse and the uncertainty around whether the next [defence] minister to be picked after the elections will be willing to transform the armed forces as we had planned," Galko stated. Originally, Bulík and Galko agreed that Bulík would retire as of November 30.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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