Kaliňák stays in government
After a 13-hour discussion, parliament turned down the opposition’s no-confidence motion on Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) early in the morning. The opposition referenced Kaliňák’s numerous scandals, namely his close business relations with Ladislav Bašternák, dubious procuring of buildings for the client center in Bratislava, and public procurement legislation violations in large IT contracts. PM Robert Fico repeated that Kaliňák is the best Interior Minister Slovakia has ever had, and attacked opposition politicians and president Andrej Kiska. He even sent Kiska a letter demanding €1m as reimbursement for using state planes for flights between Bratislava and Poprad (Kiska used the state plane at Kaliňák’s request). Kiska responded that he understands Fico’s frustration at losing the recent regional elections.
