Source: TASR, 13. 5. 2010

The current Government has worsened the situation in Slovakia since it was sworn in four years ago, according to a Global Report on State of Society in Slovakia 2009 presented by the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) on Thursday.

"It was the rule of non-liberal populists in conditions of liberal democracy which influenced the quality of the democratic environment in drawing up legislation," said IVO president Grigorij Meseznikov.

Over the past four years, Slovakia hasn't moved forward, said Meseznikov, claiming that, overall, the period has been more about sustained problems from the past. Inherited problems have deepened, and opportunities for moving the country forward haven't been utilised," said Meseznikov.

IVO's Martin Butora (former ambassador to the U.S.) pointed out that several opportunities to do something about the Roma issue have been wasted. In the sphere of corruption, the Government has produced only words but no deeds, he added.

Maria Kolikova, author of the chapter on the judiciary, stressed that this sphere has recorded a steep decline, with judges being persecuted for formulating their opinion on the state of judiciary. She emphasised that if the impartiality of judiciary is in doubt, the state based on the principle of law is in peril.

INESS (Institute of Economic and Social Studies) economist Richard Durana is his report says that the economy has grown over the past four years, but it has been rather due to the fact that the Cabinet didn't backslide on the reforms introduced by the previous Mikulas Dzurinda-led government. At the same time, the pension system has been weakened by non-systematic measures, he claimed.

Also in the study, media expert Miroslav Kollar lambasts the Culture Ministry for making the public-service Slovak Television (STV) too subservient to the governing Coalition.

Director of the Government Office's Press Department Brano Ondrus said in response to IVO's conclusions that the report is a figment of a group of people who don't even try to hide their unobjective and biased attitude towards the current Government. "Many of their assessments completely ignore reality, so the contents of the report are not suprising at all, given that IVO has long been manifesting itself as an ideological and propaganda centre of (opposition party) SDKU-DS," Ondrus told TASR.