Slovak PM resigns amid government feud over Russian vaccine purchase
EU’s Covid jabs crisis claims first major political scalp
Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic has stepped down as leader of the country’s ruling coalition following a month of political turmoil triggered by his decision to buy Russian-made Covid vaccines.
Amid an escalating feud within his government over the purchase, which was made without his coalition partners’ knowledge, Matovic has announced that he will swap roles with his finance minister, Eduard Heger.
Speaking in the capital Bratislava on Palm Sunday, Matovic described his resignation as PM “in religious terms”, Politico reports. “On the eve of holy week, which we celebrate as a symbol of suffering, sacrifice and forgiveness, I decided to make a gesture of forgiveness towards the people who politically demanded my resignation as prime minister,” said the former business, leader of The Ordinary People and Independent Personalities party (OLaNO).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An internal war has been raging in the four-party governing coalition since it emerged earlier this month that Matovic had purchased two million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, which has not yet been given regulatory approval by the European Medicines Agency.
Two of the ruling parties - For the People and Freedom and Solidarity - said they would “leave the government unless there was a cabinet reshuffle and Matovic stepped down”, the news site adds.
Six ministers, including the health minister, have since quit his 16-member cabinet.
Matovic “defended the purchase” by arguing that it would speed up Slovakia’s Covid vaccination programme, which has been hobbled by major setbacks in the EU’s joint procurement scheme, says Deutsche Welle.
But that reasoning failed to prevent him from becoming the first major political scalp claimed by the EU vaccine shortages crisis. Matovic’s critics had piled on the pressure by also accusing him of “poor communication and political missteps”, the German broadcaster adds.
Slovakia’s health system is struggling to cope as the country is hit by a third wave of coronavirus, with 9,496 deaths and 357,910 Covid cases among the 5.4 million-strong population to date, according to latest figures from John Hopkins University.
It is the second EU member state to agree to the purchase of the Sputnik vaccine, after Hungary became one of the first nations to break from the bloc’s joint scheme by agreeing a deal in late February to buy doses of the Russian jab.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
8 movie musicals that prove the screen can share the stage
The Week Recommends The singing and dancing, bigger than life itself
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
2024 Mother's Day Gift Guide
The Week Recommends A present for every mom
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The hollow classroom
Opinion Remote school let kids down. It will take much more than extra tutoring for kids to recover.
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid-19: what to know about UK's new Juno and Pirola variants
in depth Rapidly spreading new JN.1 strain is 'yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Long-term respiratory illness is here to stay
The Explainer Covid is not the only disease with a long version
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid inquiry: the most important questions for Boris Johnson
Talking Point Former PM has faced weeks of heavy criticism from former colleagues at the public hearing
By The Week Staff Published
-
China's pneumonia cases: should we be worried?
The Explainer Experts warn against pushing 'pandemic panic button' following outbreak of respiratory illness
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published