Slovak National Party leader and Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko and Defence Minister Peter Gajdos, a Slovak National Party nominee should make a public apology for Danko's promotion to the military rank of captain in the reserves, said oposition OLaNO-NOVA leader Igor Matovic on Thursday. The independent Dennik N daily reported that Danko was quietly promoted to captain back on September 21, 2016 for his work in favour of increasing the budget of the Slovak armed forces.
Igor Matovic drew attention to the fact that Danko went straight from corporal to captain, while a regular soldier needs 30-35 years of hard work for such a move up the career ladder.
He also called on the Parliamentary Chairman and the Minister to acknowledge their mistake and to apologise to soldiers who were killed in a military aircraft crash near the Hungarian village of Hejce in 2006 and weren't promoted at all. Soldiers Edmund Makovnik and Patrik Frastia were moved one rung higher up after their deaths on a mission in Afghanistan in 2013, as was Slovak athlete Matej Toth after winning an Olympic gold medal in the 50km walk.
"What is it that Mr. Danko has accomplished that they haven't, in order to earn an eight times faster rise than these people?" asked Matovic, urging Danko to give up his newly acquired rank if at all possible.
"I will never renounce the rank. It's in the Armed Forces of Slovakia, and I deserve it. It's captain in the reserves, it doesn't come with a single euro or perks," said Andrej Danko, while kissing the box holding the insignia of his rank. He added that he finds his high speed promotion to the rank of captain consistent with his age and education.
Slovak security Policy Institute's analyst Jaroslav Naď finds the promotion of the current Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko inappropriate.
Moreover, this is a promotion from a non-officer rank to an officer rank. Despite the symbolic character of this act, I wouldn't say it was consistent with custom or circumstances", the defense analyst told public broadcaster RTVS.
2 weeks ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2016, the then Defence Minister Martin Glváč promoted Prime Minister Robert Fico from the rank of lieutenant to lieutenant-colonel, i.e. two ranks higher. Besides him, also the Economy minister Ľubomír Jahnátek and Culture Minister Marek Maďarič were promoted to the rank of colonel. „I didn't know about the promotion ahead of the ceremony. There is no way to challenge an order of the Defence Minister," explained Marek Maďarič to independent daily Dennik N.
