The current political showdown in Slovakia deserves a solution, with President Andrej Kiska beginning talks with political parties in an effort to stabilise the situation in Slovakia on Wednesday. He does so because the prime minister has failed to do so for more than a week. This was explained by Roman Krpelan, the president's spokesperson. Andrej Kiska believes he is ready to the lead the country out of the political crisis:
"We have to restore people's trust in the state. For me, this trust means a crucial restoring of the government. We need a government that is not dividing society. For this, I am ready to discuss any possibilities to achieve the objective."
On Wednesday morning, the president met with the opposition parties SME RODINA and OĽANO. The head of state set a meeting with the liberal party SaS (Freedom and Solidarity) for Thursday. This was criticised by Prime Minister Robert Fico: "Today a script aiming to change the state of power in the country has been announced in the Presidential Palace." Fico asked the president to respect the outcome of the last elections.
The chairperson of the Slovak National Party and the Parliamentary Chief Andrej Danko invited President Kiska and Robert Fico to join a working meeting on Friday in order to calm down heightened emotions and to stop destabilisation in the state. Fico accepted the offer. The Office of the President has not yet replied.
At a working lunch on Tuesday, the prime minister assured present ambassadors that Slovakia remains a free country. Albeit facing a serious attack on its democracy and the very pillars of statehood. He also informed on the investigation into the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and on all involved international partners.
The premier accused the opposition of preparing a takeover in Slovakia. Vice-President of Parliament, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, continues:
"As I was talking of change [in government], I meant it naturally only in the sense of what our laws and the constitution of the Slovak Republic allow us to do. I was not talking about, nor calling upon violence."
The opposition leader Igor Matovič declared that the ambition is not a takeover, but instead early democratic elections. He also stated on Wednesday afternoon that the opposition parties SaS and OĽaNO have decided to call for a non-confidence vote against the government.
