KDH: Premier's Talk of Political System Reform Attempt to Divert Attention

Bratislava, 22 May (TASR) - The opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) considers Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) comments on potential changes to the political system to be an attempt to cover up his government's inability to govern responsibly, but it stated that it is ready to engage in a serious and expert discussion if one is genuinely proposed, TASR learnt from KDH's communications department on Thursday. "We in KDH see such simplistic proposals from the prime minister as an attempt to cover up an inability to govern the state responsibly ... a distraction from the real issues troubling people by shifting the focus to reducing the number of MPs in Parliament. What truly matters is having an effective state, one that can tighten its own belt before placing the burden on the public," said the party, also stating that the premier lacks consensus within the coalition on how to approach consolidation and is therefore trying to divert attention with other topics that once again stir up tension in society. On Wednesday (21 May), the prime minister announced that Smer-SD is prepared to make significant cuts to the state as part of further consolidation. This could include a major reduction in the number of civil servants, local governments, and a cut in the number of MPs from 150 to 100. He also proposed raising the threshold for parties to enter Parliament from 5 to 7 percent. lin/df