Government issues statement on November 17 celebrations

THE 17th ANNIVERSARY of the fall of the communist regime in the former Czecholsovakia and the subsequent establishment of democracy will not be officially celebrated with any special event in Slovakia.

The Slovak government, led by the left-wing Smer party, yesterday only issued a short statement on the occasion of the event that changed the modern history of the country.

According to the statement, the government identifies with the November 17, 1989, events but has reservations about post-revolution development, especially in the fulfillment of the principles of a legal and social state.

Instead of the ruling coalition, the opposition SDKÚ, SMK and KDH parties have organized a commemorative meeting at SNP Square in Bratislava.

According to the SDKÚ’s Stanislav Janiš, the position of the new Slovak government towards the November 17 celebrations may be connected with the fact that 10 of the 16 current cabinet members are former Communist Party members, Sme wrote.

Political analyst Miroslav Kusý also noted that the government’s position towards November 17 probably also reflects the attitude of the PM Robert Fico himself. Fico said earlier in one interview that on November 17, 1989, he did not even notice that something was happening.

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