Prime Minister Janez Jansa filed in parliament on Friday a motion to dismiss Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs Janez Drobnic after he publicly defied Jansa's request to step down over failures at his ministry.
Jansa took the step a day after making it public that he had asked Drobnic to step down for a failure of leadership and attainment of goals at his ministry.
Before that Drobnic came out to issue a statement in which he said he would not be stepping down as he felt there was no grounds for this.
The parliament will now have the final say on the fate of the embattled minister, considered by many of the government's opponents to be one of the most controversial figures in the cabinet.
Jansa's motion needs a simple majority for the minister to be ousted. Public broadcaster TV Slovenija reported today that the vote could take place as early as next week.
To prove that he was serious about replacing Drobnic, Jansa also called on Drobnic's party, the New Slovenia (NSi), to propose candidates that would replace him in the job.
In response, NSi leader Andrej Bajuk announced that the highest body of the NSi, the executive committee, is to meet on Saturday to decide on the motion.
"The story with the minister has a longer beard," Jansa said. He explained that he addressed a letter to Drobnic on 13 February, in which he said that a dismissal was in the works if the situation at the ministry does not improve substantially.
Drobnic's main problems include communication with the civil society and inept management of social dialogue, Jansa said.
Although Jansa said that Drobnic's birth rate strategy was also a reason for the decision, he explained that this was because of the minister's failure to have the document harmonised in the government rather than the controversial proposal to make abortion payable.
What is more, the PM said he informed all the presidents of the coalition parties of his decision before making it public on Thursday. According to him, there was "no serious defence of the minister" from party leaders.
Asked about a potential reconstruction of government, Jansa said that Drobnic was an "isolated case". "If any other cases appear, we shall discuss them later," he said.
Meanwhile, Bajuk issued a statement in which he said that the party's crucial commitment in government is to honour the coalition agreement, and the position on Drobnic's dismissal will be considered in this light.
"The spirit of disagreement and the lack of timely coordination is creating an atmosphere that does not contribute to teamwork," Bajuk said.
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