Matovic Criticises PS-Together Leaders for Statements on New Politicians

Matovic Criticises PS-Together Leaders for Statements on New Politicians

Bratislava, July 25 (TASR) – OLaNO leader Igor Matovic has criticised leaders of the coalition of non-parliamentary parties Progressive Slovakia (PS) and Together Michal Truban and Miroslav Beblavy, telling Truban not to pretend they are new politicians, as long-term politicians in the coalition are his close collaborators, including Beblavy, who was part of SDKU-DS and Siet (Network) parties and Martin Poliacik, who was a member of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), TASR learnt on Thursday.


At a press briefing on Thursday, Matovic said that he disagrees with ex-prime minister Robert Fico’s (Smer-SD) claim that someone in the United States funded the For a Decent Slovakia initiative. According to him, the activities of the initiative were financed by citizens. On the other hand, according to Matovic, it’s true that the initiative gave covert support to the candidates of the PS-Together coalition and the emerging For the People party.

Matovic further said that the activities of the For a Decent Slovakia initiative were financed by citizens who selflessly supported the organisation of the protests. “We had the hope that it would be a purely civic initiative,” he said.

Matovic added that only future candidates of the PS/Together coalition could make speeches at the protests. According to him, representatives of the initiative have very close relations with this coalition. “Let’s not pretend that For a Decent Slovakia is not an extended hand of these parties,” he noted.

Both Fico and Matovic said that the For a Decent Slovakia initiative is no longer civic in character but rather a political organisation falling under PS-Together and the For the People party of Andrej Kiska. Truban responded on Thursday that Fico and Matovic have shown that they belong to the old generation of lawmakers that needs to be replaced.