The daily Pravda on August 6 published Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar's written pledge to the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ), in which he guaranteed a halt to privatization
until the National Property Fund (FNM) boards are restructured to include opposition deputies. The pledge, dated June 21, was signed by Mečiar as his coaltion threatened to break apart. Although the FNM boards will not be remodeled until September at the earliest, privatization continued on August 1 with the sale of 41 firms. SDĽ deputy Ľubomír Fogaš said his party considers this step "an expression of Mečiar's political unreliability." FNM Presidium President Štefan Gavorník said on August 5 that the agency is preparing to privatize other firms, including banks, under pressure from the ministers of agriculture, economy, and construction and public works, Práca reported.
