Matúš Šutaj Eštok (born 4 February 1987)[1] is a Slovak politician who has served as the Minister of Interior of Slovakia since 2023. He was an MP of the National Council.
Matúš Šutaj Eštok | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Interior | |
| Assumed office 25 October 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Robert Fico |
| Preceded by | Ľudovít Ódor (acting) |
| Member of the National Council | |
| In office 21 March 2020 – 25 October 2023 | |
| Chairman of Voice – Social Democracy | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Pellegrini |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 February 1987 Michalovce, Czechoslovakia |
| Political party | Voice – Social Democracy (since 2020) |
| Other political affiliations | Direction – Social Democracy (until 2020) |
| Alma mater | Comenius University |
Early life and education
editIn 2011, Šutaj Eštok majored in law from Comenius University.[2] He worked as the lawyer for the Comenius University. Šutaj Eštok served as chairman of the Government Office of the Slovak Republic from 2018 until 2020.[3] He can speak English and German apart from his native Slovak.[4]
Political career
edit2020 Slovak parliamentary election
editIn the 2020 Slovak parliamentary election, Šutaj Eštok was elected to parliament on the list of the Direction – Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party.[5] He left SMER-SD and joined the newly-founded Voice – Social Democracy party later that November.[6]
Dismissal of Štefan Hamran
editOn 10 October 2023, after then-president of Slovak Police Force Štefan Hamran announced his resignation,[7] Šutaj Eštok dismissed Hamran from his position three days before Hamran's planned retirement and transferred him to the District Directorate of the Slovak Police Force in Poprad.[8]
The same year on 15 November, Šutaj Eštok has temporarily appointed Ľubomír Solák as president of the Slovak Police Force.[9] On 29 November, Šutaj Eštok announced that he would appoint Solák as the president of Slovak Police Force permanently.[10] The former also abolished his positions as first vice president and established a new position of vice president for migration.[11]
Ministry of Interior
editIn the 2023 Slovak parliamentary election, Šutaj Eštok finished tenth place with 27,093 votes,[12] later becoming Minister of Interior of Slovakia.[13] He was the first minister of Fico's Fourth Cabinet to face a vote of no confidence.[14] The opposition blamed his for unlawfully sacking police investigators working on the corruption cases of previous government of Robert Fico and wasting public resources on ineffective massive migration crackdowns. Nonetheless, the no confidence vote failed to gain a majority of votes in the National Council.[15] Šutaj Eštok was also criticised for the measures on the Slovak–Hungarian border, which the opposition considers to be a theatrical measure.[16]
Personal life
editŠutaj Eštok was married to Martina Jančíková, who worked as an assistant to then-member of Slovak National Council, Erika Jurinová.[17] He has two children named Richard and Diana with his partner, Anna.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Novým ministrom vnútra je Matúš Šutaj Eštok". Ministry of the Interior (Slovakia). October 25, 2023.
- ^ "Comenius University in Bratislava – Graduates". Comenius University.
- ^ "Minister vnútra Matúš Šutaj Eštok". Ministry of the Interior (Slovakia) (in Slovak).
- ^ "Mgr. Matúš Šutaj Eštok". Úrad vlády SR. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ^ "Zvolení poslanci do NR SR – Parlamentné voľby 2020 – Voľby SME". SME (in Slovak). Bratislava: Petit Press. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Praus, Lucia (November 27, 2019). "Pellegrini jednotka, Fico dvojka. Glváč na kandidátke Smeru nie je, Blahu vytiahli vysoko". SME (in Slovak). Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Prušová, Veronika (October 2, 2023). "Keď sa Fico ujme moci, policajný prezident končí. Hamran na odvolanie nebude čakať, odíde sám". Denník N (in Slovak). Bratislava: N Press.
- ^ "Minister vnútra Šutaj Eštok odvolal policajného prezidenta Štefana Hamrana". SME (in Slovak). Bratislava: Petit Press. October 26, 2023.
- ^ "Minister vnútra vymenoval do dočasnej funkcie prezidenta PZ Ľubomíra Soláka". Ministry of the Interior (Slovakia) (in Slovak). November 15, 2023.
- ^ Mihalková, Henrieta; Hebertová, Viera (November 29, 2023). "Políciu povedie Solák, od ministra si vyžiadal voľné ruky. Chce byť hovorcom policajtov, chystá aj personálne zmeny". Pravda (in Slovak). Bratislava: Our Media SR.
- ^ Dömeová, Annamária (November 29, 2023). "Kandidát na policajného prezidenta Ľubomír Solák: Verejnosť vnímala len NAKA. Chcem vrátiť policajtov do ulíc". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Bratislava: Ringier Slovakia.
- ^ "Zvolení poslanci do NR SR 2023 (KOMPLETNÉ VÝSLEDKY)". SME (in Slovak). Bratislava: Petit Press. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Gupka, Miroslav (November 2, 2023). "V politike sa často držal Pellegriniho. Kto je minister vnútra Šutaj Eštok?". SME (in Slovak). Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Roman Mikulec z klubu hnutia Slovensko, Za ľudí, KÚ pripomenul, že minister robí opak toho, čo si vláda napísala do programu". teraz.sk (in Slovak). November 22, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Minister vnútra Šutaj Eštok ostáva vo funkcii, poslanci ho neodvolali". teraz.sk (in Slovak). November 29, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Opozícia podala návrh na odvolanie ministra vnútra z funkcie". teraz.sk (in Slovak). Bratislava: TASR. November 22, 2023.
- ^ "Špiónka v smeráckej posteli: Asistentka z OĽaNO sa vydala za ficovca". Plus jeden deň (in Slovak). October 9, 2015.
- ^ "Poslanec Šutaj Eštok v luxusnom kvetinárstve: Žehlí doma problémy? Poznáme odpoveď!". Plus jeden deň (in Slovak). September 27, 2023.