Monitor: Premier: Kamenicky Has Confidence, Will Continue as long as He Wants

(STVR, 'Sobotne dialogy', 7 February) Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said that Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) has his confidence and will remain in his post for as long as he wishes to continue. The premier added that Kamenicky has managed to consolidate public finances in such a way that Slovakia is now viewed positively, noting that, of course, consolidation hurts and will continue to hurt. "If he didn't have my trust, he wouldn't be there anymore," emphasised the prime minister. "He will continue as long as he wants to continue; I can't tie any minister to his chair. If he wants to work, he'll work," he added. Fico sees the criticism of the current consolidation process by some coalition MPs as a reaction to the dismissal of some of their ministers or the appointment of some defectors from these parties to ministerial posts. According to the prime minister, the government will take a stance on consolidation so that public finances are back in order. He didn't directly answer the question about whether he'll reduce the public finance deficit to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). "We'll do our best to ensure that the new government receives public finances in the same condition as we handed them over in 2020, and not in the condition we took them over in 2023, when they were the worst in the European Union," said Fico. The deficit for 2019 was 1.3 percent of gross domestic product or €1.2 billion. The following year, during the pandemic, the deficit rose to 6.16 percent of GDP. am