President: Slovakia Passed Key Test of 2017 - Regional Elections

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) – Slovakia as a free society passed well the most important test of 2017, namely the regional elections in November, in which extremists were “soundly defeated”, said President Andrej Kiska in his New Year’s speech.

Kiska in the address stressed that “evil hasn’t been defeated definitely”, but a big danger was averted nevertheless.

“As voters, we were able to decide well in an important moment, to keep Slovakia a self-confident, modern and democratic country,” said Kiska.

Building on his speech from a year ago, Kiska said that Slovakia has never had so many resources with which to make major progress in some key issues.

“The number of jobless people is at record lows, the country’s economy is growing soundly. Nevertheless, political courage, sincere effort and the most important thing – results – are still mostly lacking. In this respect 2017 was rather an unpleasant year of truth,” said Kiska, who went on to complain about what he called “petty wrangles” that keep sidelining fact-oriented policies.

The president further congratulated the public on the 25th anniversary of the independent Slovakia, stating that life in Slovakia has always improved when its people focused on seeing the country just, secure, free and social.

“The humanely exhausted and economically destroyed open air museum that was Slovakia as it emerged on the map of the free world from behind the Iron Curtain has been turned by us into an open, modern and viable country, a state that has managed to use the unique potential of European integration to become a firm part of the most secure, free, prosperous and best governed part of the world,” said the president, adding that Slovakia is a better place to live after 25 years of independence thanks to its people’s efforts.