Prochazka Offers Resignation, Siet Leadership Rejects It

Bratislava, March 7 (TASR) – Siet chairman Radoslav Prochazka at a party leadership meeting on Monday proposed his resignation over the disappointing performance in the general election (5.6 percent), but it was unanimously rejected by the delegates.

Prochazka at a press conference later stressed that Siet won’t attend post-election talks with Smer-SD, making it clear that it “doesn’t want this Government to continue.”

When asked about the options of a fresh general election or a caretaker government, Prochazka declined to provide any comments. Meanwhile, he stated that he can imagine Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) chairman Richard Sulik as a prime minister. “But it’s only my personal opinion,” he added.

As far as the election result for Siet is concerned, it could be partially due to a lack of clarity in communication vis-a-vis the public shortly before the election, believes Prochazka.

Party vice-chairman Miroslav Beblavy, for his part, thinks that the party wasn’t visible enough in a couple of weeks immediately preceding the general election, while a certain role could also have been played by the fact that Siet was a new party, with people still lacking a custom to vote for it.

Concerning the much debated €1.8-million loan taken from Czech bank Fio Banka, Siet vice-chairman Andrej Hrnciar stated that it will be paid from a state contribution for the election result. “It would have been enough for us to gain 3.5 percent in the election,” said Hrnciar. Nevertheless, the party will have to be somewhat frugal when it comes to its further functioning, he conceded.