President Peter Pellegrini is ready to accept the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery Plan and Knowledge Economy Peter Kmec (Hlas-SD), when the information is delivered to him, whether he should entrust the management of the office of the Deputy Prime Minister to another minister instead, or whether his successor will be known. The president stated this at a briefing on Monday.
- President Pellegrini is ready to accept the resignation of Petr Kmec.
- Kmec resigned after criticism for supporting projects connected to Hlas-SD.
- President Pellegrini stated that he would not postpone the decision on resignation.
- Kmec declared his departure in order to protect the Hlas-SD party and the industry.
- There is discussion about replacing Kmec with another minister or a new successor.
“Of course, I am ready to make a partial alternative, that is, first accept the resignation while a successor is being sought, appoint a member of the government as is normally done, and then, when the coalition agrees on a successor, I will subsequently appoint him“, said Pellegrini. According to his own words, the president does not intend to delay time or create obstructions.
Pellegrini expects that with the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Kmeca, a certain political culture will be established and people will be more aware of whether Prime Minister Roberto Fico (Smer-SD) is using the same yardstick for any other potential offenses or suspicions. “But we will have to watch that over time, whether the prime minister will be so tough even when his nominees make mistakes,” the president added.
Kmec resigned on Saturday (November 15) after criticism from the opposition and the media for calls to support science, research and innovation in the total amount of around 200 million euros. Critics blamed him in particular for connecting selected companies to the Hlas-SD party. However, Kmec did not admit more fundamental mistakes. He stated at the press conference that he is leaving to protect the name of the Hlas-SD party, Slovakia and the industry.
