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The government’s programme statement is on its way to parliament. By the time you read this text, Matovič and his ministers are about to be granted the confidence of the parliament, making them a full-fledged government able to carry out its plan for Slovakia. That, however, changes nothing about their biggest task for now: to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences for the national economy.
A programme for the corona government
The government passed its programme statement on Sunday to be able to deliver it to the parliament by Monday’s deadline (30 days since it was appointed). The constitutional majority of coalition MPs is expected to express its confidence in the government through a smooth process.
One can hardly disagree with Igor Matovič when he says that no other government has had to come up with its programme statement in such a complicated situation as amid the global pandemic. On its 121 pages, the word pandemic appears 13 times, COVID-19 is mentioned 16 times and coronavirus four times.
Despite the crisis, Matovič says it is the most ambitious programme statement ever (yes, he enjoys using superlatives, and it is not the only thing he and Donald Trump have in common).