Bratislava, December 22 (Teraz.sk) – Although Slovakia, after overcoming difficult years, needs more peace and the ability to pull together at least on issues of common interest, politicians continue to compete on all topics on the table, fueling the growth of political tension. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said this in a final interview for TASR TV. According to him, the escalation of tension is being transmitted from politics to the entire society, which is still very polarized. “I thought that the assassination would shake society, that we would wake up and say: Let's get back on this bad path,” the president recalls. However, according to him, that did not happen. “We are in the same ruts and the political system is even more tense and even more competitive than before the assassination,” Pellegrini stated. According to him, too much rivalry and a lack of consensus are not only manifested in the relations between the coalition and the opposition, but also within the governing coalition. "After taking office, the government has taken a very strong approach to implementing the Government Programme Statement. In the first few months, it has made a number of serious decisions and continues to make them, but they are overshadowed by disagreements in the government coalition and constant rivalry between coalition partners," the president warned. On the contrary, he would expect more from the government coalition than just the ability to reach an agreement among themselves; it should also be able to make long-term strategic decisions, the implementation of which will be continued by new government cabinets in the following election periods. The president therefore does not want to give up on the effort to find political and programmatic intersections between political parties, but he no longer thinks that this will be possible, for example, by organizing a large round table with the participation of all relevant political forces, such as the one he wanted to convene after the assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). According to him, communication between political elites is at such a poor level that it cannot be improved all at once or quickly, but it is possible to try to proceed in small steps and organize monothematic round tables on specific topics. The President stated that he respects the existence of topics that will always divide parties based on ideology and beliefs, but at the same time he sees a number of those that could be consensual. "If we were to talk about protecting our borders, security and the fight against illegal migration, that could be a topic where we could find a similar position across the entire political spectrum," he indicated. According to him, important common topics could be issues of energy security or the long-term vision of the Slovak healthcare system. According to Pellegrini, the Presidential Palace could be a platform for more consensual discussions. "Today, things are boiling in the parliament because it is simply a political arena. The Presidential Palace is neutral ground where everyone is equal," Pellegrini stated. The President believes that the voters have given him their trust also because he has many years of political experience, which he can use in the performance of his mandate. At the same time, he is aware that in the performance of his function he represents the interests of all voters, including those who voted for his opponents or did not participate in the vote. "The presidential palace should not become and has not become an opposition camp that should do nothing but criticize the government and try to overthrow it. But on the other hand, the presidential palace cannot become a fourth coalition partner," the President emphasized...