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Slovak Premier Survives Ouster Vote Over Plagiarism Charges

Slovak Premier Survives Ouster Vote Over Plagiarism Charges

Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic survived his first no-confidence vote called just four months into his term by the opposition, which said allegations of plagiarism made him morally unfit to lead the country.

Lawmakers voted 78-47 to reject the motion on Thursday, as expected, after Matovic’s ruling partners refused to back the proposal. In addition to charges that he copied most of his 1998 university thesis, the opposition led by two former premiers accused him of insufficiently helping the economy during the pandemic.

Read more: Slovak Premier Downplays Ally’s Plagiarism to Preserve Coalition

Matovic has downplayed the scandal, saying any shortcomings in his thesis were unintentional. Still, his response to the allegations may cast doubt on the government’s agenda to restore rule of law.

He has also said that by releasing their findings at a time of last week’s European Union summit on the bloc’s recovery fund, reporters at the Dennik N newspaper undermined his authority during the negotiations.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.