The producer of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine is ready to cancel the contract for the purchase of two million doses of the vaccine without any sanctions as early as on Thursday, Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovič (Ordinary People) announced on Thursday. He thus responded to the threat of a government break-up in Slovakia. At the same time, Matovič called on his coalition partners to provide their stance as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, on Thursday morning, the European Medicines Agency announced that the producer of Sputnik V had requested the evaluation process of its vaccine. The fact that Sputnik V is not registered in the EU has been one of cornerstones of the conflict within the Slovak government.
On Monday, Prime Minister Igor Matovič announced that Slovakia would buy 2,000,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V, with the first batch of 200,000 vaccines already delivered. The PM took the decision without the consent of his coalition partners. In their reaction, chairs of junior governing parties and ministers Richard Sulík (Freedom and Solidarity) and Veronika Remišová (For the People), said that they require the reconstruction of the government. President Zuzana Čaputová also joined in the criticism.
"Use of the Sputnik V vaccine in Slovakia is not an expression of courage or proof of diplomatic success. It is in fact a resignation in terms of the rules that we have been observing on issues concerning medicine," stated Čaputová after her debate with head of the State Institute for Supervision of Medicines Zuzana Baťová.
Two MPs from the For the People party have already left the government and another one has threatened to do so. Its MP and Chairman of the European Affairs Parliamentary Committee Tomáš Valášek left the government, as well as the party. Another member Ján Benčík said that if Prime Minister Matovič and Health Minister Marek Krajčí were not replaced, he would also stop supporting the government. Last week, MP Miroslav Kollár also left the government and the party stating that he would no longer legitimize the chaotic and incompetent actions of PM Matovič.
Nevertheless, criticism came also from within the PM's own party. MP Ján Krošlák said that his political marketing and freestyle has become a diagnosis which causes an allergic reaction in most Slovaks.
A good government is supposed to have the ability to snuff out crises instead of triggering them, political scientist Darina Malová commented the coalition crisis, adding that "PM Matovič has become a crisis instigator, not only within the coalition but also among the public".
