Two years after approving its election platform, the government is keeping only 40 percent of its most popular promises, reads a report by the Institute for Social and Economic Reforms (INEKO) published on August 4.
INEKO, in cooperation with sociologists Vladimir Krivý and Olga Gyarfásová, and political analyst Grigorij Mesežnikov, chose 50 of the most popular promises made by the cabinet two years ago. The government has completely or mostly failed to achieve 56 percent of them. The Institute wasn't able to evaluate the remaining 4 percent.
According to INEKO, the government has shown a willingness to be pragmatic by failing to keep some of its harmful promises, such as repealing tax reform, pension and healthcare reform, combating monopolies, and keeping energy prices artificially low.
Nine promises have been fully kept by the government, including the abolition of fees for hospital stays and doctor appointments, a rise in real salaries and the employment rate, and the non-privatisation of strategic companies. On the contrary, 17 promises remain completely unkept. These include pledges to impose higher taxation on monopolies and banks, to penalise politicians who are unable to prove the origin of their property, to increase investment in education, science and healthcare, to increase the transparency of the fight against corruption, and to compensate the clients of bankrupt non-banking financial institutions. 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.
5. Aug 2008 at 7:00