Glvac Backs Kresak's Bid to Curb Benefits of Politically Active Ex-Presidents

Bratislava, July 16 (TASR) - Parliamentary Vice-chair Martin Glvac (Smer-SD) will lend support to an initiative to strip former presidents of their benefits temporarily if they become lawmakers or take up any other constitutional post following the end of their presidential tenure, TASR learnt on Tuesday. The legislative change is being sponsored by Most-Hid MP Peter Kresak. "An excellent idea. I proposed a similar solution to president Andrej Kiska during the farewell [ceremony] at the Presidential Palace. I'll certainly support this and strive to acquire support from my colleagues as well," Glvac wrote in a social network post. The third coalition partner, the Slovak National Party (SNS), recommends that Kresak should discuss his idea with Most-Hid chair Bela Bugar and have Bugar present it to the coalition council. Until then, SNS won't comment on the initiative, said SNS spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova. A similar stance has been adopted by the opposition We Are Family party. "If there is any legislative initiative in this direction in the future, we'll certainly study it and take a look at it. It's irrelevant to make any comments at this stage, however," said party leader Boris Kollar. The opposition SaS party will contemplate Kresak's motion, but it also wants to hear the stance of ex-president Kiska. "Up until now, a custom prevailed in Slovakia that was part of the political culture that when their tenures expired, presidents didn't rejoin politics," said SaS, pointing out that Kiska has changed this norm. There is now a need to determine whether the former president will see his benefits restored when his potential mandate as an MP or other constitutional official expires. According to the opposition OLaNO, when vying for a constitutional post, a former president should be the recipient of benefits stemming only from that single post. "We view it as unfair to the public to have former constitutional officials use a state-issue limousine or security detail for their partisan election campaigning or to move their friends' furniture," TASR was told by OLaNO spokesman Matus Bystriansky. Kresak pointed out that under the law Slovakia's ex-president is the lifelong beneficiary of a salary equal to that of a lawmaker, a car with chauffeur and should be addressed as 'Mr./Ms. President'. It remains to be seen whether the ex-president should enjoy these benefits even if he holds the post of lawmaker, government member, Constitutional Court judge, Judicial Council chairman, prosecutor-general or Supreme Audit Office chair or vice-chair, as in that case he would be eligible to a double lawmaker's salary and, apart from a president's office, an MP's office as well. Kresak intends to remedy the situation through the legislative change. mf/df