'Slovakia' to Back Simecka's Coalition Only If Politicians Have Pay Cut by Half

Bratislava, 17 March (TASR) - The opposition 'Slovakia' party will only support any future coalition led by opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party chair Michal Simecka if politicians' pay is cut by half for as long as they continue to burden Slovakia with debt, said party leader Igor Matovic on Tuesday. He added that this would apply to the president, prime minister, ministers and MPs, whose decisions determine whether the country incurs debt or lives within its means. He and MP Julius Jakab ('Slovakia'-'For the People' caucus) both blasted the government and the president for "outrageously" increasing salaries and flat-rate allowances amidst consolidation efforts and at a time when people's living costs are rising. "Food and energy prices are higher, but they shamelessly increased their own pay by 100 percent," said Matovic, adding that the current coalition has failed to deliver on its cost-reduction promises made in the run up to the general election. "These are the kind of people running the country, which is why we've included this condition in our Prevrat 2027 (Revolution 2027) project. We proposed a solution via which politicians' pay should be cut by half for as long as they keep burdening Slovakia with debt," he added, warning that the country would otherwise continue to accumulate debt endlessly. Since October 2025, the 'Slovakia' party has been publishing a monthly question on its prevrat2027.sk website concerning a specific proposed solution for the country, asking people to vote on them. It plans to continue doing this until the next parliamentary elections and intends to transform the solutions that gain support into legislative changes under a new government. jrg/df