Kollar: Coalition Governs Atrociously, Sadly Opposition Are Bumblers Too

Bratislava, 5 August (TASR) – The coalition is governing chaotically and leading the country in the wrong economic direction, yet it manages to dominate the political spotlight with its messaging, leaving the opposition doing nothing but reacting, Boris Kollar, the former House chair (2020-23) and leader of the non-parliamentary We Are Family party, told TASR TV in an interview on Tuesday. According to Kollar, the key issue for Slovakia's future is economic development, which is not progressing in the right direction. Public finances have not been effectively consolidated, and new consolidation measures will be necessary. „This is the worst government led by Robert Fico (Smer-SD) – chaos and total incompetence. Just look at the topics they are bringing up. And I deeply regret that the opposition is just as incompetent. They fall for this nonsense," said Kollar. He added that, for example, the British campaign to support higher youth turnout in the 2023 Slovak parliamentary elections was, in his view, conducted in accordance with the law. „The only connection is that everyone knows the progressives could have gained the most from young voters, which is why Fico attacks it. But it was legal, lege artis, within the framework of the law," Kollar stated. Kollar said their own coalition had also been criticised for chaotic governance, but its successor, in power since 2023, failed to deliver the promised stability. Coalition parties are constantly attacking one another, he noted. Kollar considers the development of Slovak public finances worrying and believes further consolidation will be needed. However, he said 'We Are Family' would not consolidate public finances at the expense of worsening the business environment. „Not a single foreign investment came to us last year. Why? Because it's not worth coming here. What awaits them? Tax hikes, VAT increases, nonsense like transaction taxes," Kollar claimed. „And if you come here and want to build a factory, you’ll wait three to four years for a building permit," he added. He sees potential savings in cutting the number of state employees, claiming Slovakia has significantly more civil servants per capita than neighbouring Czechia. mf/mcs