From the left to the right: Igor Matovič, Richard Sulík, Boris Kollár, and Andrej Kiska. (source: Sme)
This is your overview of news from Slovakia on March 5.
Follow the complete election coverage at this link.
The Za Ľudí party of ex-president Andrej Kiska has decided to take part in the coalition talks with OĽaNO, SaS, and Sme Rodina. Kiska, however, said his party would not join a future government at any price.
Marian Kotleba, chair of the far-right ĽSNS, appeared at the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok (Bratislava Region). He stands accused of supporting movements that suppress fundamental human rights and freedoms. The case concerns three cheques worth €1,488 from 2017, which experts and the prosecutor regard as promoting fascism. The court proceeding will continue in April.
President Zuzana Čaputová sent a letter to the Council of Europe over the Istanbul Convention, following a decision adopted by the parliament. She stated in the letter that Slovakia would not ratify the document. (TASR)
The Constitutional Court received the first complaints concerning the February 29 parliamentary election. A Slovak citizen complained about the election results and requested all votes be recounted, arguing that the election was not carried out correctly, especially when it came to the cast preferential votes. (TASR)
The National Institute of Children’s Diseases (NÚDCH) has adopted prevention measures, banning patients’ visits, in relation to the coronavirus outbreak. “We do this for your health,” it wrote on Facebook.
The Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava informed that a student showed symptoms reminiscent of infectious disease. The faculty’s dean therefore decided to immediately suspend the teaching process until March 9. Comenius University, the largest university in Slovakia, has adopted several measures due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Several measures that should move Slovakia closer to achieving climate neutrality are summed up in the Low-Carbon Development Strategy until 2030 with an Outlook to 2050, which the government approved on March 5. Costs of the low-carbon transformation of Slovakia will be 1.8 percent of GDP a year between 2020 and 2040. (TASR)
The employees and students of the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies of the Slovak University of Technology (FIIT STU) in Bratislava will launch an unlimited strike on March 9. Conflicts at the faculty, including a termination notice for one of its researchers, have been underway for several months. (SITA)
The zoo in Bojnice opened its gates after a 40-day quarantine. The zoo was closed for six weeks due to the avian flu, which was confirmed on January 24.
The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) arrested a high judicial officer at Bratislava I District Court, after finding cocaine worth €20,000. The suspect, a daughter of a well-known prosecutor, worked for the court’s business department.
The police initiated two criminal prosecutions in connection with pre-election videos, in which the former Slovak president and Za Ľudí chair Andrej Kiska appeared. (SITA)
The Peugeot 208 produced in Trnava was named the European Car of the Year for 2020 by the Geneva International Motor Show.
Expected events for March 6:
The Justice Ministry will present its new premises to the public.
The EU's health ministers will discuss the coronavirus outbreak.
Also on Spectator.sk today:
