Three top constitutional officials address public ahead of regional elections

On Tuesday evening the President, Prime Minister as well as the Speaker of Parliament addressed the public via the public broadcaster RTVS ahead of the upcoming regional elections, due to take place in Slovakia on Saturday, November 4. President Andrej Kiska believes that the regional elections will influence the atmosphere in Slovak society for the upcoming years. Besides regional elections having a direct impact on how Slovak regions will develop, they will also be a kind of a litmus test of the mood in society before the next general election, said Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko. According to the PM Robert Fico, it is not his duty to persuade people and tell them that they must go out and vote, yet he underlines the fact that self-governing regions can significantly change the quality of life. Fico gave assurances that newly elected regional governors would have access to him, "as cooperation between the Government and regional governors has always turned out well". More than 4.4 million Slovaks and foreigners with permanent residence in Slovakia have the right to vote in the elections, which should pick out the governors and regional councils in all of Slovakia's eight regions.