SDKÚ Chairman Pavol Frešo on September 30 sent a letter to the party’s former vice-chairmen Viliam Novotný, Martin Fedor and Ivan Štefanec stating that he will not give an inch to their pressure and will not resign, the TASR newswire reported on October 2.
Frešo described Novotný as a worn out functionary who has never been able to gain the trust of voters and party mates. The chairman further accused the three former vice-chairs of making the party dysfunctional, and had choice words for several other SDKÚ members who, as he put it, are only concerned about their posts and settling old scores.
According to Frešo, the party must decide whether its course will be about backstage deals, allocation of posts to old party warhorses; or about an attractive programme, new people, a reform drive to regain voters.
Novotný responded that if he were in Frešo’s shoes, he would resign. He pointed on the extraordinary SDKÚ congress in Senica, at which 160 delegates expressed their lack of confidence in Frešo, while only 48 supported him. He was not dismissed, however, as the quorum of at least three-fifths of all invited delegates was not achieved.
“People are leaving your caucus and party, you don’t appear in parliament much, you don’t have any political strategy, you don’t create any programme - and you’re wondering that only 24 percent of delegates supported you at the congress,” said Novotný in a letter to Frešo that was obtained by TASR.
“What do you want, anyway? Do you want to repel three-quarters of party members? You’ll remain alone in the party with [caucus leader Ľudovít] Kaník, [central office secretary Milan] Roman and members who are employed at the Bratislava regional authority - and what will happen then? I don’t quite get what your goal is,” Novotný wrote as quoted by TASR.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
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