Coalition Partners Express Support for Pellegrini in Presidential Election

Bratislava, April 3 (TASR) - The coalition partners have expressed their support for Peter Pellegrini in the presidential election, Smer-SD leader Robert Fico and Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko told a joint news conference on Wednesday.
They noted that all the parties of the governing coalition are supporting Pellegrini in the run-off round of the election.
        According to Fico, Slovaks deserve a president who will represent the country in a sovereign and self-confident manner, who will fight for Slovak national interests and who will assert the character of the Slovak Republic as a sovereign and social state respecting the rule of law, as mandated by the Slovak Constitution. "Smer-SD, Voice-SD and SNS as political parties of the governing coalition believe that presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini meets these demanding criteria for the post of head of state, and so they are expressing their full support for him," said Fico. Along with Pellegrini, he called on people to take part in the election.
        Danko believes that on Saturday (April 6) Pellegrini will manage to defeat the evil that, according to him, is represented by presidential candidate Ivan Korcok.
        The coalition parties think that the presidential election will significantly influence the Slovak political arena and the character of Slovakia's foreign policy. They claim that, if elected, Korcok will interfere in the results of the most recent general election in an amateurish manner with the aim of destroying the government and triggering a snap general election at any cost.
        The parties also declared that they are ready to preserve the stability and continuity of the governing coalition regardless of the election outcome. "Smer-SD, Voice-SD and SNS as parties of the governing coalition will be bound by coalition agreements after the presidential election as well, regardless of its outcome, and they declare their absolute determination to maintain the stability and continuity of the governing coalition," said Fico.
        Pellegrini thanked his coalition partners for the trust and support shown to him. "For me, this support is also a commitment to fulfil all the ideas and criteria that I profess and that have been included in the joint statement," he said. Pellegrini confirmed that Voice-SD will remain a stable part of the coalition even if he is elected head of state.