Beblavy Resigns as Siet Vice-chairman, Mistrusts Prochazka

Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) – Miroslav Beblavy on Wednesday resigned as Siet (Network) vice-chairman.

“The reason for this move is a serious damage to my trust in party chairman Radoslav Prochazka over certain information recently released in the media and at the party presidium session on Monday,” Beblavy wrote on Facebook.

Novy Cas tabloid earlier reported that Prochazka along with party vice-chairman Andrej Hrnciar met Prime Minister Robert Fico at Government Office on Sunday evening. In a reaction to the media, Prochazka said that he wasn’t at Government Office at all. Later he conceded that on Sunday he had a chat with Interior Minister and Smer vice-chairman Robert Kalinak. When asked by journalists on Monday whether he met Fico on Sunday, Prochazka responded affirmatively. Almost immediately he added that it wasn’t apart from TV debates, however. Nonetheless, the only TV debate attended by Fico on Sunday was that on TA3, but Prochazka wasn’t present there.

According to Novy Cas, Prochazka at the presidium session on Monday allegedly attempted to persuade its members to launch talks on entering into a Government with Smer.
Beblavy on Wednesday further stated that he feels a commitment towards more than 36,000 people who gave him their preferential ballots in Saturday’s general election and more than 146,000 people who cast their votes for Siet, so he’ll remain an MP for the party.
However, if Siet enters into a coalition with Smer – despite its public promises, Slovakia’s needs and people’s will – he’ll also consider leaving Siet altogether.

Beblavy was elected to the 2012-16 Parliament for SDKU-DS, but left the party in late 2013, serving afterwards as an independent MP.

Hrnciar, the mayor of Martin, approached by TASR later on Wednesday, expressed his disappointment over how Beblavy announced his resignation. According to him, he should have presented it to the party first. At the same time Hrnciar denied that Prochazka proposed the presidium to enter into a coalition with Smer. “It was Radoslav Prochazka in person who proposed a resolution on refusing to engage in talks with Smer-SD,” added Hrnciar.