Latest news with #SMER-SSD
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Slovak central bank chief Kazimir should not get another term, prime minister says
(Reuters) - Slovak central bank governor and European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate to get another six-year term and the country's main ruling party will not back him, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Kazimir was finance minister for Fico's SMER-SSD party in 2012-2019 but was close to Peter Pellegrini, who led a group that split away to form a new party called Hlas-SD in 2020. The two parties came together to form a government in 2023, but Fico has been at odds with Kazimir due to the party split. Kazimir, who's term as central bank governor expired on Sunday, was sentenced on Thursday to a 200,000 euro ($226,940) fine for bribery. The central bank chief, who has denied wrongdoing, has rejected the verdict and said he would appeal to a higher court. Fico, speaking at a news conference on Sunday, said he had labelled Kazimir as a "political traitor" because of his disloyalty to the SMER-SSD party not because of his conviction in the bribery case. Fico said he respected the right of coalition partner Hlas-SD to nominate the governor, under their coalition agreements. "I think that we have the right as a party (SMER-SSD) that will be important in the vote, to say if this person suits it or not," Fico said. "And we have a number of principal reasons that make us say that Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate for NBS governor. Hlas-SD must come up with someone else," he said. Slovak central bank chiefs are nominated by the government, approved by parliament and appointed by the president. Fico has criticised the judge over the Kazimir bribery ruling. The court has declined to comment. Under Slovak law, Kazimir can remain a governor unless there is a final conviction of a crime. He also stays in his post past the end of his term until a new governor is appointed. Kazimir has not said publicly if he was seeking a second term. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Slovak central bank chief Kazimir should not get another term, prime minister says
FILE PHOTO: Petr Kazimir, when Slovakia's Finance Minister, attends the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong, China January 15, 2018. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File Photo Slovak central bank chief Kazimir should not get another term, prime minister says Slovak central bank governor and European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate to get another six-year term and the country's main ruling party will not back him, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Kazimir was finance minister for Fico's SMER-SSD party in 2012-2019 but was close to Peter Pellegrini, who led a group that split away to form a new party called Hlas-SD in 2020. The two parties came together to form a government in 2023, but Fico has been at odds with Kazimir due to the party split. Kazimir, who's term as central bank governor expired on Sunday, was sentenced on Thursday to a 200,000 euro ($226,940) fine for bribery. The central bank chief, who has denied wrongdoing, has rejected the verdict and said he would appeal to a higher court. Fico, speaking at a news conference on Sunday, said he had labelled Kazimir as a "political traitor" because of his disloyalty to the SMER-SSD party not because of his conviction in the bribery case. Fico said he respected the right of coalition partner Hlas-SD to nominate the governor, under their coalition agreements. "I think that we have the right as a party (SMER-SSD) that will be important in the vote, to say if this person suits it or not," Fico said. "And we have a number of principal reasons that make us say that Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate for NBS governor. Hlas-SD must come up with someone else," he said. Slovak central bank chiefs are nominated by the government, approved by parliament and appointed by the president. Fico has criticised the judge over the Kazimir bribery ruling. The court has declined to comment. Under Slovak law, Kazimir can remain a governor unless there is a final conviction of a crime. He also stays in his post past the end of his term until a new governor is appointed. Kazimir has not said publicly if he was seeking a second term. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Slovak central bank chief Kazimir should not get another term, prime minister says
(Reuters) - Slovak central bank governor and European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate to get another six-year term and the country's main ruling party will not back him, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Kazimir was finance minister for Fico's SMER-SSD party in 2012-2019 but was close to Peter Pellegrini, who led a group that split away to form a new party called Hlas-SD in 2020. The two parties came together to form a government in 2023, but Fico has been at odds with Kazimir due to the party split. Kazimir, who's term as central bank governor expired on Sunday, was sentenced on Thursday to a 200,000 euro ($226,940) fine for bribery. The central bank chief, who has denied wrongdoing, has rejected the verdict and said he would appeal to a higher court. Fico, speaking at a news conference on Sunday, said he had labelled Kazimir as a "political traitor" because of his disloyalty to the SMER-SSD party not because of his conviction in the bribery case. Fico said he respected the right of coalition partner Hlas-SD to nominate the governor, under their coalition agreements. "I think that we have the right as a party (SMER-SSD) that will be important in the vote, to say if this person suits it or not," Fico said. "And we have a number of principal reasons that make us say that Peter Kazimir is not the right candidate for NBS governor. Hlas-SD must come up with someone else," he said. Slovak central bank chiefs are nominated by the government, approved by parliament and appointed by the president. Fico has criticised the judge over the Kazimir bribery ruling. The court has declined to comment. Under Slovak law, Kazimir can remain a governor unless there is a final conviction of a crime. He also stays in his post past the end of his term until a new governor is appointed. Kazimir has not said publicly if he was seeking a second term. ($1 = 0.8813 euros)
Reuters
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Slovakia tightens rules for non-profits in move they see as inspired by Russia
April 16 (Reuters) - The Slovak parliament approved a law on Wednesday tightening reporting and other requirements for non-governmental organisations, changes those organisations called "Russian law" in which the government was settling scores with critics from the civil sector. The law orders non-governmental organisations to detail their donors and publish wide lists of officials, and introduces fines for administrative errors. The government, led by pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico, has long accused non-governmental organisations of supporting the liberal opposition and foreign interests, taking aim at those getting funding from a foundation set up by U.S. philanthropist George Soros. In the sharply polarised Slovak society, Fico blamed civic organisations for planning to escalate peaceful public protests against his government's policies, a charge they denied. "Non-governmental organisations are a grey zone, they do politics, draw money from around the world and no one knows what they do with it," ruling party SMER-SSD Richard Glück told a news conference on Monday. Fico's party had originally planned more far-reaching changes, including labelling non-government organisations as "organisations with foreign support" like those in Russia or Georgia, provoking a warning from the European Commission. Other changes, including labelling non-profits meeting officials as lobbyists and allowing the interior ministry to dissolve them for administrative errors, were blocked on Wednesday by Fico's allies in parliament. Non-governmental organisations have said the law was meant to intimidate, could breach constitutional rights and went against rulings by Europe's Court of Justice. "We call it a Russian law not because it is a copy of the Russian one but it was inspired by Russia and in variety with the constitution and EU law," said Katarina Batkova, director of Via Iuris, an organisation dealing with human rights. "The proposed measures have clear aim: stigmatisation and limiting activities of civil organisations," she told Reuters by telephone. The country's public rights defender Robert Dobrovodsky and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty have written to parliamentarians to reconsider the law.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Slovakia tightens rules for non-profits in move they see as inspired by Russia
By Jan Lopatka (Reuters) - The Slovak parliament approved a law on Wednesday tightening reporting and other requirements for non-governmental organisations, changes those organisations called "Russian law" in which the government was settling scores with critics from the civil sector. The law orders non-governmental organisations to detail their donors and publish wide lists of officials, and introduces fines for administrative errors. The government, led by pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico, has long accused non-governmental organisations of supporting the liberal opposition and foreign interests, taking aim at those getting funding from a foundation set up by U.S. philanthropist George Soros. In the sharply polarised Slovak society, Fico blamed civic organisations for planning to escalate peaceful public protests against his government's policies, a charge they denied. "Non-governmental organisations are a grey zone, they do politics, draw money from around the world and no one knows what they do with it," ruling party SMER-SSD Richard Glück told a news conference on Monday. Fico's party had originally planned more far-reaching changes, including labelling non-government organisations as "organisations with foreign support" like those in Russia or Georgia, provoking a warning from the European Commission. Other changes, including labelling non-profits meeting officials as lobbyists and allowing the interior ministry to dissolve them for administrative errors, were blocked on Wednesday by Fico's allies in parliament. Non-governmental organisations have said the law was meant to intimidate, could breach constitutional rights and went against rulings by Europe's Court of Justice. "We call it a Russian law not because it is a copy of the Russian one but it was inspired by Russia and in variety with the constitution and EU law," said Katarina Batkova, director of Via Iuris, an organisation dealing with human rights. "The proposed measures have clear aim: stigmatisation and limiting activities of civil organisations," she told Reuters by telephone. The country's public rights defender Robert Dobrovodsky and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty have written to parliamentarians to reconsider the law.
