President Zuzana Caputova took the floor in Parliament on Tuesday to provide her report on the state of affairs within the country. Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) and several ministers attended the president's speech in person. In her State of the Republic Report, the president described the past year as one of trauma. In her opinion, the management of the pandemic and the related attempts to communicate haven't developed into tools for dealing with problems; on the contrary, they've become part of them. The president noted that Slovakia has been experiencing deficits in several areas, at one point mentioning an extremely over-burdened health-care system. In this regard, Caputova warned MPs over well-founded concerns that a further exodus of health-care workers could take place, and about the current situation in care homes for the elderly. The president also criticised the overall level of political discourse in the country as having dropped to an all-time low. Caputova addressed this comment both to the coalition and the opposition, pointing to the negative impacts that ensue from the use of lies, vulgarisms and personal attacks. The president stressed the need for stability and cooperation, mentioning this in the context of the challenges that Slovakia will face in the near future. At the same time, the president reminded lawmakers of their responsibility towards the public. This is the second time Caputova has taken the floor in Parliament since she took office, the first being in June 2020.
Source: TASR
