Rainbow coalition s smallest party may fall apart

Certain party members have expressed their distrust in the party s president, which may lead to the formation of a separate party group.

POLITICS JUNE 2. 2021 09:21

The smallest party in Slovakia s four-party coalition government is at risk of falling apart. Certain members of the For the People (Za l udi) party, grouped around Justice Minister Maria Kolikova, have expressed their distrust in party chief Veronika Remisova, Slovakia s TASR news agency reports.

Previoulsy, Ms Remisova dismissed party manager Roman Krpelan from his post, citing her long-running dissatisfaction with his work. Mr Krpelan, known as a confidante to party founder Andrej Kiska, is one of Ms Remisova s most vocal critics. According to Mr Krpelan, the real reason behind his dismissal was that he held different views regarding the general congress for the election of new party officials. „The goal is to make a last-minute change to the status quo in the party presidency, where Veronika Remisova s supporters have been in minority. This is evidenced by the attempt to replace party leader Tomas Lehotsky last week,” Mr Krpelan said.

An article published by Aktuality.sk also suggests that Ms Remisova could gain advantage by removing Mr Krpelan. In the latest, informal party, 11 out of the 21 board members voted for holding a general assembly, i.e. against Ms Remisova. Mr Krpelan is one of the 21 board members.

In the wake of the current situation Maria Kolikova, who serves as the Slovak government s justice minister from Za l udi, intends to create some kind of a internal party group and has plans to participate in the coalition council s meetings. Having disagreed with the change of personnel, she and her colleagues left Tuesday s presidency meeting early, where participants were also expected to decide about the extraordinary party congress. They think the question of whether they intend to quit the party for good is premature, and they still insist on convening the congress. Although they have no confidence in Ms Remisova, they believe that she has a place in the party, TASR writes.

Kolikova also wants to negotiate with the coalition partners about creating her own platform or group. „We want the coalition to continue to work,” she emphasized, adding that at least seven MPs of Za ludi support her.

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coalition, controversy, crisis, Slovakia, v4, za ludí