President Andrej Kiska is not satisfied with the nomination of Denisa Saková for the post of interior minister, but he has to appoint her, stated the president in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday. "I said it to the prime minister, and I'm saying it publicly, as president, I have no power not to appoint an individual member of the Government, but I view the nomination of the long-standing state secretary from the [ex-interior minister Robert] Kaliňák era as a missed opportunity," said Kiska, adding that ignoring the people's demands for reforms at the Interior Ministry and in the police is unacceptable for him.
Kiska went on to say that Cabinet, by nominating Saková as interior minister, "failed to send a convincing signal that it's serious about trying to restore public trust". Saková was chosen for the post by the senior coalition Smer-SD party, which has the Interior Ministry based on the coalition agreement. According to the Constitution, the president appoints the member of the Government proposed by the premier. The president doesn't have the option to refuse the proposal.
The initiative 'For a Decent Slovakia' is also displeased with the choice of new Interior Minister. Speaking to TASR, the organisation stated that Denisa Saková will not provide real change for this ministry, with her nomination contradicting the Government coalition's claim that it wants to try to restore confidence in the state power. "It is a legitimate requirement of the public that the nominee for the interior minister post not be a Smer-SD nominee since cases have been swept under the rug for a long time while she has been at the helm of the Interior Ministry," said the initiative in a written statement.
The 'For a Decent Slovakia' initiative, along with the students' initiative 'We Do Care' wish to "welcome" the new minister in front of her ministry once she is sworn in on Thursday, reminding her of all the alleged corruption cases which the group claims the minister has been a part of, and which they believe have not been investigated.
