Hlas-SD will head seven ministries, Smer-SD six (plus the prime minister), and the SNS three. Credit: Robert Fico, via Facebook.
Bratislava, Oct 12 (CTK) – An agreement was reached yesterday between Smer-SD, Hlas-SD and the Slovak National Party (SNS) to form a new Slovak government. Smer-SD will have the prime minister, while Hlas-SD will fill the post of parliament speaker, based on the memorandum of understanding signed by the three party leaders yesterday.
Hlas-SD will head seven ministries, Smer-SD six and the SNS three, according to the memorandum signed by ex-PM and Smer-SD chair Robert Fico, Hlas-SD’s Peter Pellegrini, also a former PM, and SNS leader Andrej Danko.
Fico described the memorandum as a foundation of the next coalition agreement and promised to form a cabinet quickly for Slovakia to be represented by the new prime minister at the EU summit on 26-27 October.
Fico promised that if he wins confidence as prime minister of the new government, he will ensure a rise in the standard of living in the country.
Pellegrini, whose party’s stance after the elections was decisive for the formation of the new government, stressed that the voters had made their decision in the elections and decided that Fico should lead the government.
Pellegrini also assured the public that the new government would not change Slovakia’s international orientation as an EU and NATO member state, as promised in the memorandum.
Responding to demonstrations held under the slogan “save democracy in Slovakia”, Fico said that he intended to govern democratically, with respect even for the opinions with which he disagreed.
He identified the fight against irregular migration as a priority of the next government. “We want a return to tradition, to what is normal, with full respect for the diversity of life,” he said. He criticised the “amateurism” and “incompetence” of previous governments.
The new cabinet should not bother the public with internal disputes, but move Slovakia forward to a better future, said Fico.
“Slovakia needs a new government as soon as possible,” Pellegrini said, calling on President Zuzana Caputova to cooperate and convene a session of the new parliament at a date requested by the leaders of the new governing coalition.
Danko said the goal of the new coalition was to calm the public and start solving people’s problems. He called on journalists “to learn to respect the election results.”
Fico said “specific names” and “specific positions” would be announced after signing the coalition agreement. The work of one new Slovak ministry should also become clear then, he added.
The emerging coalition anticipates that the opposition will fill some control positions and provide the heads of some parliamentary committees.
hol/mr/pvr
