Mikuláš Dzurinda, the chairman of the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union party (SDKÚ), announced on Monday, February 1, that he will not be on the party’s slate in the upcoming general election, the TASR newswire wrote. He did not specify who will head the party's candidate list as this will be decided by the party’s primary election due later in February.
“I'm going for this move largely because I want the election campaign to focus on people, party programmes and (Prime Minister) Robert Fico’s and his government's assuming their responsibilities,” said Dzurinda, a former two-time prime minister. He added that his decision was also aimed at uniting the opposition parties and enhancing grounds for their cooperation.
Dzurinda will retain his post of SDKÚ leader and stressed that he will devote his time patiently to the party’s campaign as well as to answering questions asked by journalists. With his decision, Dzurinda is aiming to curb the negative impact of a scandal involving SDKÚ's financing, said political analyst Grigorij Mesežnikov to TASR on Monday.
Political analyst Juraj Marušiak said he was surprised by “how passively and humbly he (Dzurinda) was putting up with attacks by Prime Minister Robert Fico, and how fast he gave up his position as a leader for the election”. 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.
