Fico: President Made Mistake in Tolerating Student's Refusal to Shake Hands

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini made a mistake when he said that he respects the student who refused to shake his hand when accepting an award for winning an international student competition, as there's nothing to respect in such behaviour at an event, Prime Minister Robert Fico has declared. Fico was responding to a student awards ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on Monday (January 13), at which a student refused to shake the hand of the head of state in protest at what he saw as Pellegrini's smearing of rival presidential candidate Ivan Korcok during the 2023 presidential campaign as a candidate of war who would have dragged Slovakia into the war in Ukraine if elected, even though the president doesn't have that kind of power. Fico detailed what he would have done if the Education Minister had organised a similar event and one of the students had chosen not to shake his hand. "First off, I would have asked him if he had nursery at home. Secondly, I would have asked him what exactly his parents taught him. And thirdly, I would have taken away his award and, in front of all the media, sent him back where he belongs. Finally, I would have thanked the Education Minister for his cooperation," said Fico. Pellegrini stated that he respects the student's gesture, but added that it was an individual act of a young boy, who, unfortunately, overshadowed an event aimed at honouring top-notch Slovak students and teachers. Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) said that he was saddened as a human being by the situation. mf/df