Ľudovít Ódor’s interim cabinet of technocrats was appointed a month ago but failed to gain a lost confidence vote. President Zuzana Čaputová appointed the cabinet to continue governing the country with limited powers until a new cabinet is formed after early parliamentary elections on September 30, but the cabinet will now have limited decision-making capacity on key foreign and interior policy issues. The parliamentary discussion before the vote was described as having an „immature attitude” by President Čaputová. Ódor pledged to achieve his program’s goals, including Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion and procuring EU funds for Slovakia.
34 MPs out of 136 present voted for the government’s program, 43 MPs were against it, and 54 abstained, while five did not vote.
The cabinet was appointed in an effort to quell a stalemate of political squabbling. Its fifteen members are drawn from academic and financial, rather than political, backgrounds. Čaputová emphasised the importance of a technocratic government to calm a divided society and lead Slovakia to a fair parliamentary election. She expects Ódor’s cabinet to support vulnerable groups affected by high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. The new government should meet milestones in the post-COVID recovery plan, prepare the budget, and consolidate public finances. Slovakia’s debt reached 57.2 percent of GDP in 2022, and the deficit is expected to reach 6.3% this year. Ódor’s cabinet is expected to develop strategies to reduce these figures.
