Political Analyst: Lajcak's Decision Logical and Expected

Bratislava, November 29 (TASR) – The resignation of Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak (a Smer-SD nominee) didn’t come as a surprise to political analyst Juraj Marusiak at all, as Lajcak’s decision following his public confrontation in views with members of the governing coalition could have been expected, TASR learnt on Thursday.

“Particularly if we take into account the stance of SNS (Slovak National Party) and statements of its members on him, Lajcak had no other alternative,” thinks Marusiak, who pointed out that not even his fellow Smer-SD members backstopped him. “The statements by some Smer members on the issue, which he deemed extremely relevant, were, euphemistically said, improper.”

By his decision to step down over Slovakia’s rejection of the UN Global Compact on Migration, Lajcak made it clear that he won’t run for president in the upcoming 2019 race. Marusiak sees his future in foreign diplomacy, instead. “If he harboured such aspirations, he surely wouldn’t engage in any open quarrel with the governing parties and the Government, which can nominate him to posts in European or global diplomatic structures,” intimated the political analyst.

What remains to be seen, however, is the development following Lajcak’s resignation, as he will automatically become an MP. “He was a Smer-SD nominee, but now it calls into question whether the balance of power in the Parliament won’t change,” said Marusiak, adding that the Government runs a tangible risk of ending up in situation similar to Mikulas Dzurinda’s cabinet of 2002-06, when as a minority government it had to vie for support from independent MPs to shepherd bills through the House.