The Slovak expert government led by Lajos Ódor, the acting PM nominated by President Zuzana Čaputová, did not receive the vote of confidence from the parliament in Bratislava in Thursday’s vote. Following the vote, the president announced that she would appoint the same cabinet as an interim government.

Despite not requiring an absolute majority, only 76 votes out of the 150-member parliament for the approval of their government programme, Lajos Ódor’s government failed to gather sufficient support in the Slovak legislature. The document detailing the government programme received the support of only 34 representatives, while 43 voted against it, 54 abstained, and 5 representatives did not vote of the 136 present in the parliament.

During the two-day debate on the government programme, many criticised the document for lacking concrete solutions. Responding to the outcome of the vote, Zuzana Čaputová described the rejection of the government programme as reflecting an ‘immature attitude’ and lacking ‘objective arguments.’ She then announced that, exercising the powers granted to her by the constitution, she would appoint Ódor’s cabinet as an interim government, which will carry out its duties until the early parliamentary elections scheduled for 30 September.

The decision to hold early parliamentary elections came after the government led by Eduard Heger, who had been governing with a minority since September, failed to secure a vote of confidence in December last year. Following the government’s collapse, the Heger cabinet served as an interim government based on the president’s mandate until May, when Heger requested to be relieved from his duties. Subsequently, the president appointed an expert government headed by Ódor, the former vice president of the Slovak Central Bank.

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