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Former Prime Minister Robert Fico: His speech was the reason for the dismissals
Photo: Jaroslav Novak / dpa
The Slovakian public broadcaster RTVS surprisingly dismissed the management team of its TV news on Friday.
The reason was a live broadcast from the party congress of the largest opposition party the day before, as the state broadcaster explained in an official statement.
The dismissal was preceded by a personal conversation between RTVS general director Lubos Machaj and those affected.
The head of the news department and three other program managers lose their posts.
The left-wing populist party Smer-SD (in German: Direction Social Democracy) of long-time former Prime Minister Robert Fico had chosen the national holiday on Thursday as the date for a party conference.
On November 17, the »Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy«, the Czech Republic and Slovakia commemorate the beginning of the »Velvet Revolution« against the communist regime of Czechoslovakia in 1989.
On the holiday, "no political party should be given space"
Fico, who was prime minister until 2018, said in his party speech that he had nothing to celebrate this year because the conservative-populist government under Prime Minister Eduard Heger was abusing the war in neighboring Ukraine to dismantle democracy.
They curry favor with western countries by supplying arms to Ukraine so that they would tolerate their domestic abuse of power.
RTVS boss Machaj criticized the fact that the RTVS channel ":24", which was created just a few months ago for political programs and live broadcasts, broadcast Fico's speech live without comment.
Those responsible for the program had been sufficiently informed beforehand that the program on the national holiday should be reserved for "remembering the democratic achievements of the Velvet Revolution".
On such a day "no political party should be given room."
kfr/dpa