MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 15 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 14 June): BRATISLAVA - If politicians themselves do not want to give up their confrontational style of doing politics, society should convince them that there is no demand for such behaviour, President Peter Pellegrini told TASR TV in an interview with publicist Juraj Hrabko. According to the head of state, if the politicians won't calm the country down, although they should naturally try to do so, the people themselves should try to overcome the polarisation. "Let's do it together, regardless of whether every Sunday an opposition MP argues with a coalition MP or they make odd videos where they insult each other," he said. Pellegrini opined that big political players may even be comfortable with today's global trend to divide society into two irreconcilable camps, where each leader communicates only with their own camp. "These trends also prevail in the countries to the west of us," said Pellegrini. Personally, he expected that in Slovakia, after the unprecedented attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in 2024, the situation would begin to change towards less aggression and more cultivated manners in political debate. "I had an idea that after that tragic act we would realise that we had already gone too far in confrontation. But, unfortunately, today I have to say that tensions in society persist," noted the president. The head of state went on to say that he has made calm and efforts to reduce the polarisation in society a priority since the beginning of his tenure. "In terms of my first speech, I try to act like that every day, but, paradoxically, we're witnessing a much worsened situation," he admitted. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini sticks to his promise of non-partisanship and presidential balance, the coalition Voice-SD party told TASR as part of an assessment of Pellegrini's first year as head of state. The party also highlighted that Pellegrini is an objective and constructive president who defuses the situation at home while cultivating good relations abroad. According to Voice-SD, his entire presidency so far suggests that he will be the best president Slovakia has had. The Voice-SD party sees the president's decision not to succumb to pressure from either side and to maintain his presidential independence as very positive. According to the party, he has confirmed this repeatedly, for example by organising round tables or by delivering his State of the Republic address in Parliament. "He speaks independently, in a balanced manner and factually - he names problems without unilateral attacks and at the same time doesn't bypass the responsibility of any party," said Voice-SD. Pellegrini, according to the party, was thus able to live up to his words that the Presidential Palace wouldn't be another coalition partner or a nest of the opposition resistance. BRATISLAVA - Peter Pellegrini has obediently acted only in favour of the coalition during his first year as president, presidium member of the opposition 'Slovakia' party Julius Jakab told TASR, assessing Pellegrini's first year in office. Jakab blamed the president for several moves. "The year of Peter Pellegrini's in office brought people higher prices, which he signed without any problems. He also signed the impoverishment of families by scrapping €200 per child and the abolition of the parental pension. Pellegrini has obediently acted only in favour of the coalition for a whole year, and he won't hide it even by vetoing the law on the life annuity for the prosecutor-general," he said. am