The opposition Christian-Democratic Movement (KDH) says that Prime Minister Robert Fico failed when he did not dismiss Finance Minister Jan Pociatek. KDH deputy Jan Brocka labeled it scandalous and blatant that the prime minister did not accept Mr. Pociatek's resignation offer but instead fulfilled the wish of the financial group J&T, which wanted Mr. Pociatek to remain in his position. "Robert Fico yielded to pressures of lobbyists and financial groups that stand behind SMER-SD," said Mr. Brocka. He suggests that the prime minister thus showed who actually governs the country. Until Monday, the behavior of the Finance Ministry was exclusively his scandal, but after Mr. Fico's decision to leave Mr. Pociatek in his post, it became Mr. Fico's scandal. Mr. Brocka said the prime minister should have fired the minister and the public expected him to be tough as well.
Mr. Brocka appeals to central bank governor Ivan Sramko to provide detailed information on trading on the FOREX market from the time that the central parity was about to change. He has information that before May 28, when the parity changed, deals for USD 1.2 billion were concluded on the market. Mr. Brocka said that a "serious suspicion" of an information leak regarding the imminent change of the central parity would already have been enough to oust the minister. "It is not our task to investigate," said Mr. Brocka.
Mr. Brocka also appealed to the public not to be cheated by the government's rhetoric of a social state. "This government is not the government of poor people," he said. He argued that the government enabled private equity groups to earn millions of crowns on the change of the central parity and on the other hand it suggests increasing monthly child benefits by SKK 30, which is hardly one euro. "Illusions about a social state evaporated yesterday evening," said Mr. Brocka.