Slovak President Defends Salary Increase Amid Opposition Criticism Over Government Spending

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini defended an automatic salary increase for top constitutional officials after facing criticism from the opposition. The opposition Slovensko movement condemned the automatic pay raises for the president, prime minister, and ministers as outrageous during a period when the government is implementing budget cuts. Pellegrini argued that his actual salary would be lower than reported and provided calculations to support his claim. The dispute over executive compensation has overshadowed broader discussions about public finance savings, highlighting tensions between the ruling coalition's austerity measures and perceived government spending on official salaries.