The technocrat government of former National Bank Vice-Chair Ľudovít Ódor will take over the now-ousted government of Eduard Heger in what appears to be an increasingly divided country ahead of September’s snap parliamentary elections.
Following the instability caused by the quarrels between members of the former cabinets of Heger and his predecessor Igor Matovič, President Zuzana Čaputová appointed Ódor to lead the new caretaker cabinet until the general elections.
Holding a peaceful discussion and attempting to unite the people before the elections on 30 September was among the promises Ódor made after his appointment.
Speaking to the new prime minister, the president said:
“We are facing an epidemic of populism, of lies that, after hundreds of repetitions, become truth for some people. I, therefore, expect you to be part of the counterbalance against these phenomena,” Čaputová told the freshly appointed prime minister.
In response to the president, Ódor promised not “to argue in the media and waste precious time on stupidities,” noting that one of his key priorities would be the orderly run of the state affairs until the elections without scandals and media hype.
“So no one can question the legitimacy of the elections,” he said about the September elections some oppositions leaders, including the far-right leader of The Republic party Milan Uhrík and opposition leader Robert Fico (Smer-SD), said may be marred by election rigging.
The new government’s long-term goals include stopping the qualified labour force from leaving the country. “We are the only EU country that cannot retain talent and is becoming unattractive to talent from abroad,” he said.
Speaking of his predecessors, Čaputová said: “The problem of the ruling coalition, which hastened its end, was mainly the permanent fighting and quarrels, which poisoned the public and, ultimately, its protagonists.”
She also praised Heger for ensuring key reforms were passed and the national recovery plan milestones were adopted.
Meanwhile, new Defence Minister Martin Sklenár promised continuing support of Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs our support, it needs help, and it needs to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our support will therefore continue,” he said.
(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)
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