Good evening. Here is theWednesday, January 31 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
11 men (and 0 women) will vie to become president
Igor Matovič (centre left) during the press conference at which he announced his presidential run. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
On Wednesday morning, Slovensko (formerly OĽaNO) leader Igor Matovič announced he was joining the presidential race, even though "at this time yesterday I did not know I would become a candidate".
"First of all, we're going to help people to have enough information, and we're also going to spice up the campaign for the candidates," stated Matovič, adding the campaign needs "a dose of truth".
Matovič admitted that he does not believe he has any chance of winning. According to the Denník N daily, bookmakers say his chances are "pretty much zero". As Matovič put it during his press conference, the idea behind his running for the post is to "have a democratic candidate's back". He said he had no intention to harm ex-foreign minister Ivan Korčok's candidacy – but warned that the latter would have to face "unpleasant" questions, as would other candidates.
The Slovensko movement submitted the proposal just a few minutes before the deadline. In addition to Matovič, Nation’s Memory Institute's historian Patrik Dubovský also announced his candidacy. He attracted publicity last November when he filed a criminal complaint against Smer MP Ľuboš Blaha for displaying a portrait of communist revolutionary Che Guevara in his parliamentary office. Dubovský will run as the candidate of the Za Ľudí and Kresťanská Únia (Christian Union) parties, and is also being supported by Slovensko.
Both Matovič's and Dubovský's nominations were signed by 15 MPs from the three parties. The other way to get onto the ballot is to submit a petition signed by at least 15,000 citizens, as Korčok has done.
The first round of the presidential election will take place on Saturday, March 23. The second round, should it be required, will take place on April 6.
Related: In alphabetical order, the candidates are as follows: SNS chair Andrej Danko, Patrik Dubovský, Aliancia party leader Krisztián Forró, pro-Russian politician and former top judge Štefan Harabin, Ivan Korčok, far-right politician Marian Kotleba, diplomat Ján Kubiš, Igor Matovič, former police officer and eurosceptic Milan Nahlik, Hlas chair Peter Pellegrini and Robert Švec, another far-right politician.
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FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Slovak politics explained in a single traffic accident
SNS leader, presidential candidate and now test driver Andrej Danko.. (source: TASR)
He calls it an accident. The opposition calls it a disgrace. The police call it a matter for investigation. But the case of Andrej Danko, his car and a Dúbravka traffic light pole is, James Thomson suggests, more a work of performance art.
It is hard to imagine, he writes, how a single incident could better encapsulate Slovakia's current, profoundly stupid, political moment.
EVENT FOR NEXT WEEK
Japanese movie festival in Bratislava
The Kino Mladosť cinema in Bratislava will screen movies as part of the Japanese Film Festival. (source: SME - Marko Erd)
Between February 8-11, the Embassy of Japan will be holding the 18th edition of the Japanese Film Festival, showcasing four contemporary movies that reflect various aspects of life in the Asian country.
All the movies will be screened at the Kino Mladosť cinema on Hviezdoslavovo Square. Admission is free of charge. For more information about the selected movies, click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Železiarne Podbrezová will not repeat the record €49 million profit it reported for 2022. Last year the ironworks were affected by a drop in orders of 27 percent, meaning it barely made a profit. The last time its production fell more was during the aftermath of the global financial crisis 15 years ago. (Denník N)
One of the biggest e-shops in Slovakia, Hej.sk, will close at the end of February. After its closure, electronics retailer Datart, which belongs to the same group, will take care of any warranty claims by Hej.sk customers. (hej.sk)
Poland has extended temporary checks on its border with Slovakia until March 2. (TASR)
On Tuesday, Smer chair Robert Fico cancelled a planned meeting with ambassadors due to illness. "However, I have to do everything to be at the European Council session in Brussels on Thursday morning, where all sorts of strange things are being planned against Hungary," he wrote in a Facebook post.
A total of four projects from Slovakia have been nominated for the annual Innovation in Politics Awards. These include a joint project by municipal waste-management company OLO and the City of Bratislava in the form of the KOLO reuse centre; an inclusive housing project for the Roma community in the town of Lenartov; project Košice 2.0, which aims to improve the quality of life in the city and increase local civil engagement; and the Investment Ministry's hackathons, which aim to tackle problems in public administration. (TASR)
The total net profit of the 25 banks operating in Slovakia grew by almost €380 million year-on-year, or by 46 percent, to €1.2 billion in 2023, according to preliminary non-audited data published by Slovakia's central bank. (TASR)
On Tuesday, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová (left) met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa. The latter was interested in events in Slovakia, and both leaders spoke about the security situation as well. Rudolf Schuster was the last Slovak head of state to officially visit Canada, more than 20 years ago. Čaputová also met with Slovaks living in Canada. On Wednesday, she will move to Toronto to open a joint Slovak-Canadian business forum and meet more compatriots. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY
Overcast and foggy. Throughout the day there will be rain or showers in many places. Daytime temperatures will rise to between 0°C and 8°C. A level 1 wind warning applies to the High and Low Tatra mountain ranges and the surrounding areas. (SHMÚ)
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