Election24: Danko: I Would Put Presidential Election Back in Parliament's Hands

Bratislava, March 14 (TASR) - The Slovak Constitution doesn't give many powers to the president of the country, presidential candidate Andrej Danko has stated in an interview for TASR, adding that the presidential election should be put back into the hands of parliament, as an unnecessary conflict occurs when the president is elected by citizens, with the head of state getting the feeling that he or she should be a counterweight to the government. This interview with Danko is a part of a series of interviews with candidates for the post of Slovak president.

        -What do you view as the most important role of the Slovak president?-

        Not to betray Slovakia, to defend its interests and to listen to the voice of the nation when needed. This is how, for example, President Zuzana Caputova should have acted during the coronavirus pandemic.


        -Which power of the president do you find to be the most important, and without which power could you imagine operating in the presidential post, or which one do you not plan to use?-

        The most important power of the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The power that, in my opinion, the president should not have is to appoint Slovak ambassadors abroad, i.e. to approve them after they have been approved by the government. This also applies to the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS). In my opinion, the president shouldn't have the power to appoint the SIS head. A power I wouldn't plan to use is that I definitely wouldn't take former sponsors on a foreign trip with public money, as the president did during her recent trip to Canada.


        -Some political parties have spoken about the need for a change in the electoral system? Is this change needed? Would you sign off a change in the electoral system?-

        Everyone who says this is either a representative of a big political party or doesn't understand it. There's need to realise that Slovakia has a single-chamber system and a change in the electoral system cannot be acceptable for us. This has its meaning in countries like the Czech Republic, where they have two chambers. The electoral system we currently have is sufficient for us at this stage. Another question is whether the way political parties operate should change so that people from the regions will be represented on their slates. The Slovak National Party (SNS) had the best regional slate. I said that the president should respect what parliament approves, but there's a right of veto here, and as long as we have a single-chamber parliament, I as the president would veto it.


        -What is your attitude towards Slovakia's membership of NATO and the EU? We've been members of these organisations for 20 years.-

        I served as parliamentary chair for four years and we have never questioned our membership of any organisation. The fact that we criticise the way in which the European Union functions is something different from breaking it. If not reformed, the European Union is doomed. The same applies to NATO. In my opinion, cooperation between European armies would be a better project for Europe than deciding on NATO command from the position of US interests.


        -The president of the Slovak Republic also holds the post of commander of the armed forces. What is your stance on financing the army, its modernisation and strengthening, also in view of what's happening east of our borders?-

        SNS has been involved in all modernisation projects, including "eight-wheelers", the replacement of aircraft and the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets and many others. We are in favour of building up the Slovak armed forces. We don't identify with what [ex-minister of defence] Jaroslav Nad did, giving away all functional equipment, handing it over to Ukraine. Slovakia today needs a missile defence system, we need to complete our ground troops. So modernisation is essential, though I can imagine that the money would be better going to health-care workers' salaries.


        -What is your opinion of aid to Ukraine? Do you support Ukraine's membership of the EU? The Union has okayed the start of accession talks.-

        I am against talking about this as long as there's war in Ukraine. Ukraine should be a buffer zone between the European Union and the Russian Federation. I definitely wouldn't like to see Ukraine in the European Union. I would rather see Serbs or Montenegro in the European Union.


        -Should the president be a counterbalance to the government? Why?-


        I am not a supporter of citizens electing the president. I view it as a violation of our constitutional system, as the Constitution was built so that the president is elected by parliament. This has been shown to be functional in Hungary as well. This half-way system of ours is just breaking up the functioning of the state, with the president getting the feeling that he or she enjoys the public's trust. However, the priemier's coalition enjoys public trust as well. Then a conflict arises here, and this conflict is unnecessary. If the president were elected by parliament, such a question would be irrelevant, as the tension arises from the ego of a president who feels the need to balance out the wisdom of the government. It is unnecessarily detrimental to his or her role of representing the state. Our Constitution doesn't give many powers to the president, so if I had this opportunity, I would return the presidential election to parliament and propose Robert Fico (Smer-SD) for the post.


        A total of 11 candidates are running for the presidential post in this year's election. They are: Andrej Danko, Patrik Dubovsky, Krisztian Forro, Stefan Harabin, Ivan Korcok, Marian Kotleba, Jan Kubis, Igor Matovic, Milan Nahlik, Peter Pellegrini and Robert Svec.


        NOTE: TASR has asked all 11 presidential candidates for interviews.