Organisation of Pensioners and Smer-SD urge people to take part in referendum

Opposition Smer-SD together with representatives of the Pensioners Union in Slovakia (JDS) held a press conference to urge the people to take part in Saturday's (January 21) referendum for a snap election. JDS chair Michal Kotian pointed out that the referendum is a grand festival of democracy and an affair concerning every citizen. "We were also driven (to support the referendum) a bit by unhappiness with the way our petition was received. Individual items haven't been implemented to date and some have gone completely ignored," stated Kotian.
Parliament acknowledged the JDS petition in November 2022. In it, JDS was demanding, for instance, special valorisation of pensions by 8 percent and the thawing of frozen minimum pensions.
House Vice-chair Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) criticised the top three constitutional officials over what he sees as discouraging the people from participation in the referendum. He finds such behaviour anti-democratic. "The government's power originates from the people," he said, adding that the referendum is akin to "government by the people" who speak their mind. (TASR)