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Madaric: KDH Should Also Attempt to Be Alternative to SDKU-DS
Sunday 13 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
(STV, December 13, 'O Pat Minut Dvanast')
Opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) should attempt to find an alternative not only to the current Government but also to the opposition SDKU-DS party, governing-Coalition Smer-SD vice-chairman and Culture Minister Marek Madaric said on public-service Slovak Television's (STV) political chat-show 'O Pat Minut Dvanast' (5 Minutes to 12) on Sunday.
"You should also attempt to provide an alternative to your partners. In the social-economic affairs you're an appendage of SDKU, and in the issue of the state-national interests you're the biggest ally of the (ethnic-Hungarian) SMK," said Madaric.
The minister was reacting to a remark by KDH chairman Jan Figel, also appearing on the show, indicating that the current Government resembles the era of the coalition of Vladimir Meciar (LS-HZDS), Jan Slota (SNS) and Jan Luptak (Association of Slovakia's Workers) in the mid 1990s. "The relation of the current state powers to the freedom of the press is very questionable ... I want to stand up for the media that were compared to the Mafia and anti-government groupings earlier this week (by Premier Robert Fico)," said Figel.
Turning to Madaric's suggestion that KDH should seek to offer an alternative to SDKU, Figel said that KDH is able to "step away from the table" when it comes to affairs that it considers to be important. He referred to early 2006, when KDH left SDKU-DS chair Mikulas Dzurinda's government over the-then premier's unwillingness to adopt the KDH-sponsored bill on conscientious objection.
According to Madaric, in creating the post-election government in 2010 Smer-SD will take into account the need for a stable government – one which will pursue social policies and state-national interests. Smer is the only leftist party with a chance to get into Parliament, however, therefore it will have to look for its coalition partners among rightist parties, he noted.
Solidarity is an important issue for KDH as well, said Figel, adding that his party also pursues responsibility, so it can't support a socialist economy. He said that KDH therefore prefers co-operation between rightist parties as was the case in the Higher Territorial Unit (VUCs) elections last month.
Commenting on Smer's admission to the Party of European Socialists (PES) earlier this week, Figel said that Socialists were defeated in the European Parliament elections in June, therefore they are attempting to compensate the walloping they took at the polls in June by, for example, admitting a party that is faring well.
Madaric responded that the delay in Smer's admission was due to PES's concerns about the coalition of Smer with the Slovak National Party – concerns that now seem to have been ill-founded.
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