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Slovakia Cabinet Pledges Lie Detector Tests, Judicial Reform

Slovakia Cabinet Pledges Lie Detector Tests, Judicial Reform

(Bloomberg) -- Slovakia’s new Premier Igor Matovic made eliminating corruption the centerpiece of his first term, promising “zero tolerance” of graft as the country grapples with the coronavirus.

The 121-page program of the first Cabinet led by Matovic, who surprisingly won election six weeks ago, includes a requirement for top police officials to pass a lie detector test while politicians can be held liable for damages incurred by bad decisions. The government also pledged to overhaul the judicial system with measures such as an age limit for judges, changes to disciplinary proceedings and removal of their legal immunity.

The Feb. 29 election centered on corruption after Slovakia was shake

Slovakia Cabinet Pledges Lie Detector Tests, Judicial Reform

n by the 2018 murder of a journalist investigating political ties to organized crime that sparked the biggest protests in decades. Slovakia fares worse in Transparency International’s corruption ranking than many of its eastern European Union peers, including Poland.

Matovic also took over an economy crippled by the coronavirus. The four-party ruling coalition, led by Matovic’s Ordinary People movement, wants to balance the budget by 2024 if the global economy revives after the pandemic, according to the document posted on the government’s website on Sunday. The government will not raise the total tax burden and is considering a return to the flat income tax, which in the 2000s helped cement Slovakia’s status as an investor-friendly country.

The program also affirms Slovakia’s pro-western orientation. Parliament will discuss the plans and hold a confidence vote on the new cabinet on Monday. Ordinary People kept its lead in the first post-election poll.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.