Peter Pellegrini reshuffles Slovakia's cabinet to secure majority

Euronews

19-03-2025

Slovakia's president has sworn in a new minister of investments and regional development, completing a reshuffle that keeps a parliamentary majority for the government.
The appointment of Samuel Migaľ was a result of a deal agreed on by three parties in governing coalition to increase the power of the Smer (Direction) party of Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Under the agreement, the coalition's two junior partners — the Hlas (Voice) party and the ultranationalist and pro-Russian Slovak National Party — gave up control of one ministry each to Smer.
With the addition of the ministries overseeing investments, regional development and information, and tourism and sports, Smer now controls nine ministries, Hlas six and the Slovak National Party two.
The deal was struck to solve a recent crisis in the coalition that risked its parliamentary majority.
The coalition had 79 seats in the 150-seat parliament known as the National Council before four Hlas lawmakers, including Migaľ and three others, from the Slovak National Party parted with their parliamentary factions.
The lawmakers did not join the opposition but have demanded posts in the government, parliament and state institutions in exchange for their loyalty.
That has made it difficult for the government to advance its agenda.
Another rebel from Hlas, Radomír Šalitroš, will become a state secretary at the ministry led by Migaľ.
Pellegrini had already sworn in Rudolf Huliak, one of the rebels representing the Slovak National Party, as the minister of tourism and sports.
Richard Raši, the predecessor of Migaľ at the ministry, has resigned and is expected to be elected the parliamentary speaker. That post is vacant since the previous speaker, Pellegrini, won last year's presidential election.
Robert Fico is a divisive figure in Slovak politics with many people in the country opposed to what they see as his pro-Russia stance.
When he came to power in 2023, he cut financial and military aid to Ukraine and said he would block the country from joining NATO.
Those moves have proved highly unpopular with many ordinary Slovakians and sparked a wave of protests across the country.
Madrid has adopted a measure to redistribute thousands of unaccompanied migrant minors currently sheltered on the Canary Islands to other parts of Spain.
The reform ends a months-long political stalemate between Spain's regions and the central government and is aimed at easing pressure on overcrowded migrant reception centres, mainly in the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands is a popular destination for thousands of mostly north African migrants who arrive in the archipelago every year hoping to reach the European Union.
For several months, local leaders in the Canaries have complained about a lack of resources to shelter the thousands of unaccompanied children and teenagers who reach their shores.
In Spain, which has a population of 49 million, the central government handles the treatment of adult migrants, while regional governments are responsible for unaccompanied minors.
After the measure was approved on Tuesday, Ángel Victor Torres, the government minister in charge of Spain's relations with its regions, called it a "milestone in the defence of human rights" and the rights of children.
"It would be good for anyone with doubts to visit a migrant centre," said Torres, who previously led the Canary Islands regional government.
"And see that in spaces for 20 people, there are 300 people, and that they are kids of 15 years, 10 years and five years."
For regions such as the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa who cannot host more unaccompanied minors, the measure would allow for some of them to be transferred to other regions in Spain, factoring in a region's population, per capita income, unemployment rate and other factors.
The Canary Islands are sheltering more than 5,000 unaccompanied minors across the archipelago. Some 4,000 migrants will be transferred elsewhere within mainland Spain.
While final numbers are still being worked out, the wealthy Catalonia region that includes Barcelona will only receive between 20 and 30 unaccompanied minors, a spokesperson for the Junts per Catalunya party said.
The strip of Atlantic ocean between West Africa and the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration routed.
Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, shattering previous records for a second time.
Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania.
Numbers so far this year are down, according to Spain's Interior Ministry.
Almost 11,000 migrants have reached Spain this year by sea as of 15 March, a 21% decrease from the same period last year.