SDKÚ-DS MP Tomáš Galbavý said President Gašparovič's New Year's Address proved that both his party loyalty and personal interests matter more to him than the well-being of society. He also pointed out that Gašparovič didn't criticize Prime Minister Robert Fico, even the PM's personal attacks on opposition leaders or threats to jail them.
According to Galbavý, it's contradictory that the head of state would praise Slovakia's economic results when he opposed the reforms that have led to them.
Rafael Rafaj, head of the Slovak National Party (SNS) parliamentary caucus, said on January 2 that the president's speech overemphasized minority rights.
But Béla Bugár, the former chairman of the ethnic-Hungarian SMK party, praised the president for mentioning minorities and widening the scope on the presentation of Slovakia's national symbols. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
