Government may fall due to politicians’ wages

PM Robert Fico is ready to merge parliament’s vote on freezing politicians’ wages with a no-confidence vote in the government. The wage freeze, in effect since 2011, was approved by the government for next year as well. Parliament, though, refused to support it on Wednesday. Coalition parties Most-Híd and SNS are openly against this “populist gesture” and over half of Smer MPs voted against it too. Smer’s coalition partners responded to Fico’s ultimatum by speaking about “raping MPs” and “bad precedents.” The center-right government of Iveta Radičová was voted out of office when it merged a vote on the euro zone’s bailout fund with the no-confidence vote. The coalition parties will discuss the wage freeze next week.

If wages are not frozen, MPs will make €4,500 a month instead of their current €3,300. The salary of the Prime Minister would go up from €4,900 to €6,000 and of the president from €9,000 to €13,000.

(N/3)