Pellegrini Payslip Leak: Internet Reacts

What was meant to be a gesture of transparency quickly turned into a heated debate. President Peter Pellegrini published his salary with the fact that the public has the right to know how much the head of state earns. The response was immediate: in 55 minutes, the post garnered 698 comments and 36 shares. In the discussion there were sharp references about a high salarybenefits of the function and comparisons with ordinary families and pensioners.

“The president’s salary is a public matter and everyone has the right to know the truth about what salary goes into his account. It is calculated in the same way as under previous presidents Andrej Kiska or Zuzana Čaputová. But now, after the adoption of consolidation measures, the head of state’s income has decreased by more than 2,000 euros in net, and today it looks exactly like this (digital payslip for February).” wrote Peter Pellegrini on the published payroll.

It was this link that started an extremely lively discussion under the status. While the president apparently wanted to show openness and respond to questions about his salary, a large part of commenters focused mainly on the amount itself. At net income 9,513.95 euros after deductions and gross income of almost 18 thousand euros sharp comparisons with the reality of ordinary people appeared very quickly in the debate.

Many discussants wrote that they would not reach a similar amount even in a few months, some even in a whole year. In the comments, comments were repeated about the salaries of working families, single parents, pensioners and people who, according to their own words, live from paycheck to paycheck. Others reminded that the position of president is not only about the salary itself, but also about other benefits that an ordinary citizen does not have. “God, it hurts my heart, I don’t have that much in a year in the net. Give yourself the salary of an ordinary citizen and try to function and pay for everything from that salary.” it sounded from the references under the payslip of the highest constitutional official.

There was also irony and allusions to whether all the benefits associated with the office are included in the published amount. “Poor thing, don’t you need to contribute to your living? Try DONIO. Or this is your official income, why not publish it all?” asked one of the commenters. Some wanted more openness from other constitutional officials and pointed out that the publication of one payslip does not automatically mean that the public will agree with the amount of income.

The debate quickly turned from a question of transparency to a wider dispute over how top politicians’ salaries are set at a time when many people are struggling with the rising cost of living.

Despite the harsh criticism, there were also voices that defended the president’s move. According to them, it is right that the head of state showed his income publicly and opened up a topic that is usually speculated about rather than talked about. However, even these reactions only confirmed that the post touched on a sensitive topic and evoked strong emotions across the audience. “Study better and apply when you’re envious,” it said in one of the links. “I’m not jealous, because I would live a crazy life,” wrote another citizen. And another joined the discussion with a sentence: “He’s a president, not a worker.”

The result was clear after less than an hour. The post received 698 comments and 36 shares, making it one of the most watched statuses. The originally informative post turned into a sharp public debate about how much the president earns and how such an amount affects the eyes of people who live in a completely different economic reality.

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