Caputova: Democracy Needs Independent Institutions, Civil Society and Media

Copenhagen, May 10 (TASR-correspondent) - Democracy needs three basic lines of defence - independent institutions with responsible public officials, active civil society and free media, President Zuzana Caputova stated in her address at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, adding that all three lines act as correction mechanisms - if one of them fails, the others are triggered. The Slovak head of state was welcomed at the summit by former prime minister of the Kingdom of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In her speech, the Slovak president stated that one of the pillars of democracy in Slovakia had failed. "When corrupt interests tried to seize the judiciary or the police, civil society and the media as well as ordinary people, mobilised to protect them," she said, adding that Slovakia is currently implementing a comprehensive reform of the rule of law. Caputova assessed that during the pandemic there is a higher demand for an effective government, clear and predictable rules. "If we are to protect our democracies, we must invest in our institutions and not undermine them," she stated. There are a lot of pressures on democracy, said the president, noting that even a best-written constitution can't protect democracy if the business model creates deep inequalities. Democracy is about the spirit of freedom, justice, tolerance and solidarity; and everything is interconnected with law. Democracy is about everyday respect for rules, not about their circumventing, said Caputova. am/mcs