Danko Urges President Pellegrini to End Military Training, Return to Office

Bratislava, 13 July (TASR) – Leader of the coalition's Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko has called on President Peter Pellegrini to end his participation in the National Defense Forces training and return to the Presidential Palace instead. Danko insists that Slovakia needs its President elsewhere, particularly to fight against the approval of another sanctions package against Russia. In a video posted on social media on Saturday (12 July), Danko criticized the President's two-week military training stint, calling it "shallow" and urging him to fulfill his presidential duties instead. „Return to the Presidential Palace — that's why people elected you. Do your job and stop this clowning," Danko said. He also claimed the President should have fought harder to prevent Slovakia from committing five percent of its GDP to defense spending and to secure exemptions similar to those pursued by the Spanish Prime Minister. Danko questioned Pellegrini’s military background, asking whether Pellegrini had avoided service in the past due to health reasons or a military exemption. „If he was seriously ill, how can he be a soldier now? And if he dodged it, he has no moral right to turn recruitment into a reality show of the Farm caliber," Danko stated, adding he cannot imagine the President defending the country after just two weeks of training. Danko also reiterated his support for reinstating compulsory military service. President Pellegrini is currently undergoing a 14-day training program with the National Defense Forces. He has stated he won't receive any special treatment and "from the moment of his signing becomes a rank-and-file soldier Pellegrini, who's going to follow orders of his commanders". Pellegrini underlined that he's capable of performing his presidential duties remotely during the training. mf