Premier: Opposition Has Chosen Path of Destroying State

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - The opposition has definitively chosen the path of destroying the state, said Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in a statement on Thursday in reaction to events in Parliament, where the state budget draft is currently being debated.
        Fico accused the opposition of seeking to reject the budget via obstructions in Parliament, warning that this would have serious consequences for the lives of ordinary people. "Compensation measures related to energy or help with mortgage repayments couldn't apply under a provisional budget. Many other measures bound to the state budget couldn't be taken, either," stressed the premier.
        According to Fico, the opposition's approach in this case has nothing to do with classic political obstruction and a standard form of fight between the coalition and opposition. "The opposition has taken the citizens of Slovakia hostage to achieve its own political goals," he stated.
        Fico believes that Parliament will eventually manage to complete the debate on the state budget and approve it, and he called on the opposition to stop obstructing it. He reiterated that the Special Prosecutor's Office and changes to the Penal Code will be debated as late as in January 2024. He added that the opposition's current approach only strengthens the coalition's conviction that the changes proposed are necessary.