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Figel: Holding MP and Mayor Posts Concurrently Fuels Clientelism
Tuesday 29 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 29 (TASR) - The fact that an MP can at the same time hold the post of a city or town mayor indirectly fuels clientelism, opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) chairman Jan Figel told TASR on Tuesday.
Figel was speaking following the announcement of KDH's initiative called "One Mandate Is Enough", whereby the party won't let mayors feature on the party's slate for the upcoming general election due in June 2010.
"I wouldn't like something like this to happen. What I would like is to help towns and villages in an equal manner, via better and more transparent conditions, so that access to EU funds is equal," said Figel.
The KDH chairman added that he doesn't believe that local administration officials from leftist parties, for instance, will therefore have an edge over KDH representatives in local authorities. "We aim to serve everybody. Leftists only want to serve themselves. Prime Minister Robert Fico is making it clear that he's giving preference to his people," he said.
"I've already said in the past that one job is enough," added Figel, noting that he ran for the post of KDH chairman only after his tenure as a member of the EU Commission expired.
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