COALITION MEETS: RUSKO LIKELY OUT BY FRIDAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000682

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ECON ETRD LO
SUBJECT: COALITION MEETS: RUSKO LIKELY OUT BY FRIDAY

REF: A. BRATISLAVA 677


B. BRATISLAVA 626

C. BRATISLAVA 618

Classified By: DCM Lawrence R. Silverman for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) Sources with inside knowledge of the August 23
Coalition Council meeting told us that the Prime Minister
will indeed dismiss Minister of the Economy Pavol Rusko, but
not until Friday (reftels). Rusko told coalition partners he
will not voluntarily step down. The source commented that
Rusko prefers to be fired by the Prime Minister to save face
in front of his ANO voters, who would view him as a "victim"
rather than as someone who resigned in self-admission of
guilt.


2. (C) While Rusko will lose his Ministerial post, he will
return to Parliament. One contact told us that this is
Dzurinda's preferred solution, and that Rusko will want to
remain in Parliament to preserve his immunity from
prosecution. ANO will remain in the coalition. Rusko will
propose ANO loyalist Vladimir Snir, a businessman from
Eastern Slovakia, as the new Minister of Economy.

INSIDE ANO: DIVISION OVER RUSKO
--------------


3. (C) During an ANO Presidium meeting Monday night, five
members of the 22 person body either voted for Rusko to
resign, or abstained from showing their support. Three of
these five (Lubomir Lintner, Jirko Malcharek, and Minister of
Culture Frantisek Toth),are Vice Presidents of the party.
Contacts within ANO tell us that the meeting was quite
heated, with one member of the body using words not suitable
for print about the actions of her "cowardly male" colleagues
who failed to support Rusko. Rusko himself has vowed to
"clean house" at ANO and remove the "traitors" from his
party.


4. (C) Comment: While today's Coalition Council meeting
adds a degree of predictability to the future of Rusko and
the coalition, the future of ANO as a party is even more in
flux; post notes that this is Tuesday, and that by Friday,
anything could happen. End Comment.

POSTSCRIPT: PRO-U.S. POLICIES WILL CONTINUE
--------------


5. (C) During the Ambassador's credentials presentation
today, President Gasparovic alluded to the coalition's
"problems," but reassured the Ambassador that the
government's pro-U.S. policies would remain unaffected.
VALLEE


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