Happy 2024 and good evening! Here is theTuesday, January 2edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
President blocks Competence Act
President Zuzana Čaputová. (source: TASR)
President Zuzana Čaputová vetoed a government-initiated amendment to the Competence Act on Tuesday, January 2.
Pointing to a 1996 ruling by the Constitutional Court, according to which the president appoints and removes higher-ranking public officers, such as the directors of the Statistics Office (ŠÚ) and the Health Care Surveillance Authority (ÚDZS), the president disagrees with the government's plan to acquire this competence. She also criticises a vaguely defined reason for which these directors can be sacked. The government could use it at any time to dismiss them, which would make these key authorities politically dependent on the government.
For example, the Statistics Office plays an important role during the elections. Slovakia will elect its next president in the spring.
In addition, the president opposes a change that lists the Slovak Information Service (SIS) and the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (ÚRSO) as central state authorities. There had been no debate with these institutions and other parties about this change before coalition MPs approved the amendment to the Competence Act ahead of Christmas. The change can lead to many administrative problems, the head of state argues.
Also, the president does not approve changes related to arms trade licences and defence industry products. She is convinced that the Defence Ministry, unlike the Foreign Ministry and the SIS, is not the right authority to give an opinion on who should obtain these licences.
The government has a majority in the parliament. Therefore, coalition MPs are expected to override the veto.
Opposition: "This amendment hijacks independent institutions such as the Statistics Office and the Health Care Surveillance Office. At the same time, it paves the way for [charged Smer MP and ex-police chief] Tibor Gašpar to become the SIS director." - PS party leader Michal Šimečka
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FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY
Ukrainian artist who sings opera in Bratislava and Vienna public spaces
Opera singer Vasyl Alekseev. (source: Ivana Lesić)
"I love watching people pass by and suddenly stop when they hear opera. For them, it's pure magic," artist Vasyl Alekseev tells The Slovak Spectator.
EVENTS
Top 10 events in Bratislava
On Epiphany Day, which falls on Saturday, several great events will be held in Bratislava. You can go to a party, a stand-up comedy show, watch Three Kings' procession, or try ice-skating.
5 other things that happened in Slovakia on Tuesday
Education Minister Tomáš Drucker (Hlas) has said that Slovak students could choose different levels of the Maturita exam from mathematics in the future. Something similar is possible when choosing a foreign language exam.
Quotas on Slovak music played on radio stations in Slovakia have been in place since 2016. Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová sees them as a good tool that could be applied to other areas of Slovak culture, too.
Keeping dogs on chains is now banned. The law was adopted in 2021, but there was a two-year transition period in effect following its adoption.
Slovakia has banned the sale and use of certain pyrotechnic productsstarting from 2024.
The total consumption of apples per capita in 2022 increased by an average of 12.7 percent. One Slovak ate 13.3 kg, up by 1.3 kg compared to 2021. Slovaks ate the Gala and Golden Delicious varieties the most.
Hilltops in the Donovaly area, Low Tatras, on January 2, 2024. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Wednesday will be cloudy. Rain showers are possible, especially at night, says the met office. Temperatures will be high, ranging from 5°C to 10°C. (SHMÚ)
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