Good evening. Here is the Monday, March 18 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Lagging significantly, Danko withdraws from election
SNS chair Andrej Danko. (source: TASR)
At a press conference on Monday, SNS chair Andrej Danko announced that he has withdrawn from the presidential race, citing developments in election support and an effort not to split national-conservative forces.
At the same time, Danko voiced his support for former chair of the Supreme Court and a former justice minister, Štefan Harabin, in the coming Saturday election, who he believes can make it into the second round. When asked why he did not support coalition partner Peter Pellegrini (Hlas), Danko said the latter wasn't interested in the support of his party.
According to the most recent election polls, Danko significantly lagged behind Harabin, who usually places third behind Pellegrini in the first and former foreign affairs minister Ivan Korčok in second place.
Harabin is a strong critic of the EU, and an outspoken supporter of Russia and its all-out invasion of Ukraine. During the press conference, he said that if he were to win, he would strive to ensure that Slovakia gains neutrality status, even though during an interview with daily Sme he said that he had no problems with Slovakia being a NATO member; and reiterated that no Slovak soldier will go to Ukraine, even though such a decision rests in the hands of both the government and parliament.
Related: Here are the short profiles of each presidential hopeful. One thing is already certain: the next Slovak president will be a man as there were no successful nominations by female hopefuls.
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FEATURE STORY FOR MONDAY
A mission to resurrect Bratislava Calvary
The New Stations of the Cross combine old and new. (source: Sme - Marko Erd)
Unlike its more famous cousin in Banská Štiavnica, Bratislava's Calvary did not survive the communist regime, even though it preceded the former by 50 years.
By the time of the Velvet Revolution in 1989 all that remained was part of one chapel of the Stations of the Cross and a rotting wooden cross with a bronze Christ above a dilapidated staircase. Today, it is transformed.
EVENT FOR THE NEXT WEEEKS
The subway that was never used
The skeleton of the former subway depot in Petržalka. (source: TASR)
During the communist regime, Bratislava planned to build a subway system, but this project was later evaluated as too expensive and then cancelled. Now, the Transport Museum in Bratislava, located next to the Main Railway Station, is hosting an exhibition that transports visitors to the era when the means of transport was being planned.
In addition to a treasure trove of images, a virtual simulation offers a glimpse as to how a ride in the Bratislava "metro" was supposed to look. Click here for more information.
IN OTHER NEWS
On Saturday, the SaS and KDH (Christian Democrats) parties held a congress. Branislav Gröhling became the new chair of SaS, succeeding Richard Sulík, who previously led the party for 15 consecutive years. Gröhling wants to bring people together and reinforce the party's presence in regions and at the national level, and stresses the need to fight for democratic values. On the other hand, Milan Majerský defended his post of KDH chair. He wants the party to be Christian, democratic, conservative, and to attain a double-digit result in the next election. (TASR)
The Slovak election commission verified 24 slates of political parties running in the European Parliament (EP) elections in June. The Alternative for Slovakia party withdrew its candidacy. Slovaks will elect 15 MEPs for five years on Saturday, June 8. (TASR)
Slovakia borrowed €606 million in a planned auction of four government bond issues in March, the Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL) announced on Monday. The Agency added that the average accepted yield on sold bonds slightly increased when compared to the previous auction held on February 19. (TASR)
More than 1,200 internal and external employees of the RTVS public broadcaster have signed a statement calling on the Culture Ministry to withdraw proposed changes to the law related to the broadcaster. According to them, the "proposed changes may practically result in a tool for the political takeover of RTVS by any government power". Private TV Markíza, Slovakia's popular channel, also comes under pressure after the takeover by the latest news director. (SITA)
According to a new poll, two parties currently in the parliament - SNS and the Slovensko movement (formerly OĽaNO) - would have not made it in had the election taken place in March. Smer would have won with 23.4 percent of the votes, followed by Progresívne Slovensko with 20.8 and Hlas with 17.1 percent. However, the far-right Republika party would have made it. (TASR)
A white stork in a nest in Trnava, western Slovakia, several days after its arrival. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Mostly clear to partly cloudy skies, occasional fog expected. Daily temperatures will rise to between 7 °C to 12 °C, with up to 5 °C in the northern half of the country. Level 1 ground frost warning applies to the southern half during the night and early morning. (SHMÚ)
MARCH 19 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Jozef
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