SaS Accuses Coalition of Misusing Parliament for Political Goals

Bratislava, 14 April (TASR) - Instead of addressing people's problems, the coalition is misusing Parliament for its own political goals and to defend its own nominees, opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) chair Branislav Groehling told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the agenda of the current parliamentary session highlights the coalition's total detachment from reality. "Instead of solutions, we can see proposals such as extending the mandates of mayors and regional governors from four to five years. How does this help Slovakia? How does this help the public? This is the governing coalition's approach to resolving people's problems," he said. SaS MP Maria Kolikova also criticised Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) for his statements regarding the innocence of former special prosecutor Dusan K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons]. "The prime minister shouldn't be defending people who are facing criminal prosecution," stated Kolikova, calling on the Judicial Council to look into the matter. "The prime minister's statements constitute an attack on the independent judiciary. Judges cannot feel safe following such remarks," she added. Another SaS MP, Marian Viskupic, pointed to the government's economic failures, suggesting that functional solutions do exist. "We can see examples from abroad; for instance, in Germany they reduced energy taxes to mitigate the impact of fuel prices, thus helping both people and businesses. We're calling on the government to stop ignoring reality and to adopt concrete measures," he added. In addition to that, MP Martina Bajo Holeckova urged the government to freeze ministers' salaries, as previously promised by the junior coalition Voice-SD party. jrg/df