Monitor: Richter: President Shouldn't Be Surprised By Scope of Consolidation

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 14 September) President Peter Pellegrini should not be surprised by the scope of the planned fiscal consolidation, chair of the Smer-SD parliamentary caucus Jan Richter stated on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. Richter emphasised that the head of state can at any time reach out to Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) to ask for clarification. Simona Petrik, opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) vice-chair, also on the show, expressed her disagreement with several proposed consolidation measures and how they are being implemented. According to her, the government ignored previously agreed wage increases for public employees. „The President should not be the one showing surprise at the size of the consolidation in such an important and necessary piece of legislation. He must also realise that the deficit we inherited is so deep that it cannot be resolved within a single year," said Richter. He warned that if the deficit were not tackled in this manner, Slovakia could face a "Greek scenario." Petrik argued that the public is already feeling the burden of what she called Prime Minister Robert Fico’s (Smer-SD) "cost-of-living crisis", and that soon they will be dealing with "Fico’s poverty" as well. She criticised the fact that the consolidation package was prepared without consulting the House Committee for Social Affairs. „This is a frontal assault on working people. You've decided to impoverish everyone except the wealthiest and your own people with the stroke of a pen," she said. Petrik also pointed out that ministerial salaries will, in practice, be higher due to adjustments to the non-taxable portion of their flat-rate allowances. She reiterated her proposal to freeze their pay. Richter responded by stating that the government plans to prepare a bill affecting all constitutional officials, which would at least temporarily change the way their salaries are calculated. „Work is underway. The government is ready to address this issue, but only when the time is right, as we currently do not know the key figures," he explained. Richter confirmed that several elements of the proposed consolidation package remain under discussion. One example is the potential cancellation of the public holiday on 6 January. „I concede that some changes may still occur," he said. He also revealed that the Finance Ministry intends to submit an amendment that will improve the situation for the self-employed. Petrik criticised the fact that the tripartite meeting on the consolidation will take place a full week after the proposed changes were introduced. She also raised concerns over the cancellation of public holidays: „We must be sensitive to which holidays are being scrapped – we shouldn’t send the Rusyn community to work on Christmas Eve," she noted. At the end of the discussion, the participants addressed recent shifts in parliamentary groups. Richter confirmed that independent MP Miroslav Radacovsky’s departure to Cyprus is underway and, once formalities are completed, he will be replaced in the Slovak National Party caucus by Zdenko Cambal, the mayor of Holic. Dusan Munko is also expected to return to the Smer-SD caucus. „I believe Mr. Andrej Danko will thank us for the support during that period, and Mr. Dusan Munko will return where he belongs – to our parliamentary caucus," Richter added. He concluded by saying that any constitutional changes will be put to a vote only once the coalition secures 90 votes. mf