Slovakia Political Briefing: Prime Minister Eduard Heger and His “New” Cabinet Peter Csanyi

ISSN: 2560-1601

Vol. 40, No. 1 (SK)

May 2021

Slovakia political briefing: Prime Minister Eduard Heger and his “new” Cabinet Peter Csanyi

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Prime Minister Eduard Heger and his “new” Cabinet

Summary

Igor Matovič was prime minister for a year that only lasted eleven months. During the twelfth month, at the peak of the biggest pandemic wave this country has seen so far, there was little governing to speak of. March 2021 was instead a month of a discussion about discussion about ministerial reshuffles. Finally, PM Igor Matovič stepped down on March 30. President Zuzana Čaputová accepted his resignation and assigned Finance Minister Eduard Heger to form the next ruling cabinet for Slovakia. She also appointed the new cabinet ministers on April 1, 2021. Most of the cabinet members remained in their former posts. The main changes were made to the position of health minister and to that of finance minister, which is now the remit of Igor Matovič. The “new” Cabinet’s task is to keep the coalition together and to help the country to survive the pandemic.

Introduction

Slovakia's Prime Minister Igor Matovič formally resigned from his post to resolve the country's political crisis and the country's former deputy prime minister and minister of finance, Eduard Heger, was tasked with forming a new government to avoid an early election.

It took Igor Matovič one month to understand that his departure from the top government post was the only way out of the coalition stalemate if he and his governing partners were to avoid an early election. After his chaotic first year, the former prime minister’s nomination to lead the powerful department in charge of the public finances raised many eyebrows, but his partners say it was necessary if the coalition deal on the new cabinet were not to collapse. It was a political nomination and part of the political reality. In a fact, it was the first European government to collapse due to a decision regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Igor Matovič stepped down as Prime Minister

PM Igor Matovič (Ordinary People and Independent Personalities - OĽaNO) delivered his resignation to President Zuzana Čaputová on March 30 and his resignation automatically

1 meant the end of his entire cabinet, according to the Slovak constitution. Subsequently, the president assigned Finance Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) to form a new cabinet. In a fact, most of the ministers serving in the former cabinet were expected to return, including those who had resigned before.

Igor Matovič's cabinet was assigned to continue working until the new cabinet was appointed, a constitutional provision to make sure there is always a government in office. Eduard Heger thanked Matovič and stressed that he was not leaving because of murders or suspicions of corruption, but to bring peace. This coalition crisis lasted practically all of March, and Matovič’s cabinet lost a total of six members. It was not a consensus between the coalition partners either. Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and For the People (Za Ľudí) were asking Matovič to step down, while We are Family (Sme Rodina) continued saying that it had no personnel demands.

SaS went as far as to give an ultimatum to Matovič, saying that if he did not resign until March 24, they would leave the coalition. Subsequently, Matovič said on March 21 he was ready to resign as prime minister if coalition partners fulfill the conditions his movement listed in their joint statement. This included the resignation of then economy minister Richard Sulík (SaS) and then justice minister Mária Kolíková (Za Ľudí). They both stepped down, followed by other two SaS nominated ministers, Branislav Gröhling and Ivan Korčok. SaS later withdrew from the coalition completely on March 25. Matovič’s reaction was unexpected, because he asked to forget his demands and proposed to swap posts with Heger only three days later.

“New cabinet” of PM Eduard Heger

President Zuzana Čaputová appointed Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) the new prime minister on April 1, 2021. She also appointed the new cabinet ministers, except for the labor minister. President Čaputová hopes the new prime minister will present a new approach and new energy. She also believes that the cabinet will present a new program that will reflect the current challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis, and also the possibilities that may arise thanks to the EU recovery plan.

Eduard Heger expressed his hope of the ruling coalition to cooperate, and the new cabinet will continue in its efforts to purify and restore the country. Still, describing Heger’s cabinet as “new” is arguably a step too far. Heger just swapped seats with OĽaNO party leader Matovič, and five of the six ministers who resigned during the crisis have since returned to their posts,

2 with the only new face at the health department. Frankly, it is the same ruling coalition with the same four members. OĽaNO has kept its dominant position and the root of the conflict within the coalition – namely Matovič’s political style – remains.

Matovič’s government was symbolized by “chaos” and the “dissolution of institutions” – conditions in which the former prime minister enjoyed ruling. The OĽaNO leader was also known for his showmanship and aggressive political communication, which eventually triggered the crisis in the coalition that led to his removal. This style of politics left Matovič trailing in the latest polls as the second least-trusted politician in the country. By contrast, the new prime minister – a former restaurant manager, vodka dealer and self-proclaimed Christian activist – has the reputation of being an esteemed, consensual and perhaps even boring bureaucrat.

Who is PM Eduard Heger?

Eduard Heger worked in various companies after he finished his studies in economics. He also served as a consultant at the Defense Ministry, participating in the reform of the armed forces. Heger is a conservative politician and head of the pastoral team in the community of the Dome of St. Martin in Bratislava. As finance minister, he was responsible for the state budget and his agenda also included banking, insurance, and pensions. He controlled financial administration, tax and toll collection too.

Some analysts say it is precisely Heger’s unexciting persona that has propelled him to the top, because Matovič does not recognize him as a political rival with enough popular appeal to escape his shadow. In a fact, Heger has not shown much authority so far, he is struggling to sell himself as a politician, making him the ideal candidate in Matovič’s eyes. On the other hand, Heger is more acceptable for the coalition partners, because of his personality. However the other thing is how he will be able to manage his party leader Matovič, who remains in the government and has one of the most important ministries.

If the new prime minister is unable to stand up to his coalition partners or even his own party and leader, new conflicts in the cabinet are likely to erupt. On the other side, for the society that is tired not only of the former government, but also of more than a year-long COVID-19 crisis, Heger’s clear-cut communication style could be acceptable and could earn him political points.

Heger has also ruled out any kind of imminent political emancipation. He declared he was not here to be the future leader of OĽaNO. However, time will tell whether Eduard Heger’s political instinct to govern based on consensus will meet the public and political mainstream’s appetite for a new kind of government and political leadership.

Conclusion

After a near month-long coalition crisis marred by back-and-forth political wrangling, ministerial departures and a botched vaccination campaign, Slovakia finally entered calmer waters with a new government in place as of April 1, 2021. Eduard Heger’s more consensual style of governing may have diminished the prospect of early elections in Slovakia, though the new prime minister will have his hands full dealing with his predecessor as finance minister and other unresolved coalition issues. In many respects, Slovakia’s new Prime Minister, Eduard Heger, appears to be the polar opposite of the person he swapped jobs with – his party leader and now Finance Minister, Igor Matovič. Given his predecessor presided over one of the least trusted governments in the country’s history, this can only help Heger in his task of keeping the unwieldy coalition together and avoiding early elections, though many of the stresses and strains that characterized the previous administration remain. Approximately one month later the cabinet of Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) has won the trust of the parliament. Its program statement was approved on May 4, 2021 by 89 Members of Parliament, 55 were against it.