Monitor: Remisova: Opposition Should Sign Pact on Shared Priorities

(JOJ 24,'Politika 24', 12 July) Opposition parties should sign an agreement on common priorities, opposition MP Veronika Remisova (Slovakia-For the People) declared on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday. In her view, the priorities should be restoring the rule of law, foreign policy and restarting the economy. "Opposition leaders should sign some form of agreement or memorandum in which they commit to three basic priorities. For me, these priorities are, first, restoring the rule of law; second, a foreign policy that serves Slovakia's interests rather than, for example, the interests of the aggressor Putin; and third, restarting the economy. I believe opposition leaders could agree on these three fundamental issues," she said. According to Remisova, such an agreement would reassure voters that, regardless of the differences or disputes between opposition parties, they would be able to deliver these three priorities together after the election. "In other words, an opposition agreement similar to a coalition agreement," she added. "I believe, based on my discussions with opposition leaders, that they are capable of reaching agreement on these three issues. We can then debate the technical details. Some parties want to reduce the flat tax to 17 percent, others to a different level or to 19 percent," she noted. The opposition MP said it was right for each party to have its own programme and priorities. "Progressive Slovakia has different priorities from ours or from SaS. It is good that voters have a choice, but at the same time it should not happen that votes are wasted because of oversized egos. Slovakia simply cannot afford that at the moment," she underlined, adding that the opposition should also seek to appeal to disappointed coalition voters. Remisova said the natural leader of the opposition should be a representative of Progressive Slovakia (PS). "I respect the current situation. Based on the polling figures, I believe that is Progressive Slovakia, so I naturally expect this type of initiative from the largest opposition party in the polls, including Mr. Michal Simecka," she said. She accentuated that this was not meant as criticism, but argued that leading the strongest opposition party also carried responsibility for the country. "He currently aspires to become prime minister and will have to cooperate with Igor Matovic ('Slovakia'). He will also have to work with smaller parties, because it is possible that the next government majority will also rest on three, four or five MPs. That means he'll need to cooperate with everyone. I somewhat expect him to start doing that already while in opposition. We can see that the numbers simply do not add up without the 'Slovakia' party," she said. Remisova reiterated that, alongside a bloc consisting of Progressive Slovakia and the Democrats, she wanted to see the creation of a second, more right-wing and conservative bloc made up of 'Slovakia', the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and her own party, For the People. "That would allow voters to choose while ensuring that votes are not wasted," the opposition MP added. mf