PS: Electoral System Reform Talks Shows Fico's Detachment from People's Issues

Bratislava, 23 May (TASR) - According to the opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS), discussions about changing the electoral system are abstract and show that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is increasingly disconnected from the everyday problems of people in Slovakia, the party's media department told TASR on Friday. "Abstract talk of changing the electoral system or even fantasising about one-party rule like in Vietnam shows that Robert Fico is increasingly out of touch with the everyday problems of people in Slovakia. Our health-care system is falling apart, people are facing extreme price hikes due to Fico's inflation, and a transaction tax is choking the economy. But the problem isn't democratic elections, which the premier would seemingly prefer to abolish, it's 14 years of his incompetence," the party said. The premier indicated that as part of consolidation, the number of MPs could be reduced from 150 to 100, and the electoral threshold for entering parliament could be raised from five to seven percent, while also expressing a desire to open a discussion on reforming democratic political systems. The Interior Ministry is also proposing that only parties which enter Parliament after elections should receive state funding. lin