The appearance of Prime Minister Robert Fico on public-service broadcaster STV during which he explained Slovakia’s aid to Greece and attacked opposition parties could be classified as pre-election campaigning, several political analysts told the ČTK newswire.
The experts agreed that the EU plan for Greece was a proper reason for Fico to appear on public-service media, but that the attacks on opposition parties one month before the elections were contrary to political rules and ethics while appearing in such a format.
These analysts said that Fico was trying to distract the attention of voters from the unpopular financial assistance to Athens.
“The point wasn’t to explain to the public the reasons for the government decision in a matter-of-fact way, but he wanted to decrease the risk of potential loss of popularity,” said political analyst Grigorij Mesežnikov, as quoted by ČTK.
“It is a pre-election agenda and the prime minister is doing everything to not get harmed by it,” said political analyst Miroslav Kusý.
STV has repeatedly been criticised for what some call its servile attitude to the prime minister. STV spokesperson Peter Susko rejected the accusations and said the television station follows the laws, which allow public officials to appear on STV in cases of urgent public interest, ČTK wrote.
Source: ČTK
Compiled by Michaela Stanková from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
