Ciganikova: I'm Not Leaving SaS for Now, I want to Stand by Sulik in Future

Bratislava, 7 March (TASR) - I'm not going to leave the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party for the time being, Jana Bitto Ciganikova told the media after the SaS congress delegates failed to elect her to the party's Republican Council on Saturday. The congress also rejected a proposal to include former party leader Richard Sulik on the SaS slate for the next parliamentary election. Regarding her future political development, Bitto Ciganikova added that she wants to stand alongside Sulik. "I stay in the party to see how Richard Sulik's candidacy develops. Whether he'll run at all. Honestly, personally, I don't know how to make such a turnaround, when the wind changes, I immediately change my coat. That's not really me. And I can't just abandon the person who created the party that I considered ideal. SaS will simply be different from today onwards," she stated. However, she respects the decision of the majority of congress members. Bitto Ciganikova also admitted that she expected she wouldn't be elected to the SaS Republican Council. "Chairman Branislav Groehling had support. I didn't know how much. It's clear, the members decided ... I tried to fight for what I believe in. The members simply see it differently. They clearly stand behind Branislav Groehling's decision. And for me, that's the end of it. Today is the last day I'm commenting on this," she noted. According to Bitto Ciganikova, the rejection of Sulik's nomination to the SaS slate for the next parliamentary election is shocking. "He received votes from the proposer and from me. For me, it is shocking ... I don't think it's so clear-cut to execute the founder and honorary chairman like this," she commented. am