On Sunday the new government, made up of four parties - Ordinary People, We Are Family, Freedom and Solidarity and For the People - approved its manifesto. "While governing we commit ourselves to telling the truth and acting honestly at all times. We will deal with public finances and state assets as good managers and will tolerate no corruption. We'll ensure strict equality before the law and act in a way that will significantly increase public trust in the state and in the people who represent it," reads the document.
The Government highlighted timely and high-quality health care and education as being among its priorities. It also commits itself to creating an attractive business environment so that employees will have good jobs and earn fair salaries. The Government also wants to devote attention to the poor, sick and vulnerable. The document includes plans to increase significantly Slovakia's food self-sufficiency and to set up a fair system of support for farmers. It declares equality of opportunity in any tender or public contest. Concerning informatisation, the Government intends to turn Slovakia into a smart, innovative and transparent country. It wants to reduce regional gaps and improve environmental protection by making use of EU funds. The new cabinet declares that it will act as a reliable and responsible partner in European and international relationships.
The NGO Via Iuris has evaluated the presented program statement of the new government positively. Among other things, the NGO positively assesses the announced changes in the justice system's selection process for prosecutor general and the special prosecutor, and its return to changes in the election of judges of the Constitutional Court.
Fighting corruption, as well as increased transparency both in using EU funds and more generally, are points in the Mantifesto which political scientist Radoslav Štefančík finds positive. However, he evaluates some of the commitments as disputable, saying that the promise to decrease the braindrain in medical studies alumni and certain other goals are formulated vaguely. Štefančík also likes the fact that the government will not decrease the 50% quorum for a referendum to be valid.
Greenpeace Slovakia criticized the Manifesto for not containing particular steps to protect the climate.
Associations uniting Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs) have expressed their appreciation for the approach to civil society and human rights that the government presented in its government manifesto on Sunday. The Chamber of Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs) at the Government Council for NGOs, the Voice of Civic Organizations platform, and the Coordination Crisis Team of the Non-Profit Sector have also expressed "their interest in continuing mutual cooperation and constructive communication with representatives of public authorities, said Marcel David Zajac, chairman of the Chamber of NGOs. "The text in in the chapter 'Human Rights and Civil Society' gives us a great impulse for the drawing up of common strategies, public policies, and legislative standards. These will realistically help improve the systemic position of active citizens and non-governmental non-profit organizations in our society," said Zajac.
On Monday, he Government submitted its manifesto and asked Parliament for a vote of confidence.
