Monitor: Kalinak: It's Fairly Likely That Fico Will Return to Work Soon

(RTVS, 'O 5 minut 12', June 30) It's fairly likely that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) will make a public appearance in the following days and resume carrying out his duties gradually, Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) declared on RTVS's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. Opposition's KDH leader Milan Majersky, also on the show, wished speedy recovery to the Prime Minister and condemned the May 15 shooting, but also articulated his reservations regarding the approved Lex Assassination Attempt. "It cannot be said that everything has gone according to plan, but I'm at liberty to say that his health has improved to such an extent that Mr. Prime Minister already took an active part in discussions on the summit that was held earlier this week," said Kalinak. Kalinak added that physicians are doing their utmost to enable the Prime Minister to return to work fully, even though he might suffer lifelong ill effects. He's in touch with the Prime Minister on a daily basis, even in person. Majersky maintains that the package of measures in the wake of Fico's shooting, the so-called Lex Assassination Attempt, should have been passed only after the conclusion of the investigation. He criticised new measures restricting the right to assembly and pointed out that lifelong salary for ex-prime ministers should have been ushered in through a separate stand-alone bill. Majersky is not opposed in principle to lifelong income for all former top three constitutional officials, but the sums should have been calculated progressively according to years spent in office. [Lex Assassination Attempt has introduced the lifelong income only to former prime ministers and parliamentary chairs who served two full terms of office, which currently applies to no one but Robert Fico - ed.note]. Kalinak later intends also to pass through Parliament a measure to enable police to identify individuals in the online domain. "It won't wash that a person out in the street, with his face visible, and his ID card in the pocket, can be at disadvantage in comparison to individuals online," he said, adding that he wants to discuss the issue further with the opposition first. Kalinak conceded that the topic is sensitive. Majersky can envision a proposal that would introduce supervision over the online domain. "It would be good to have some good law to supervise what the people post on social media," he replied and underlined that this must be done through a proper legislative process and only after discussion. mf