BRATISLAVA, November 20, (WEBNOVINY) — The extraordinary parliamentary session with the no-confidence vote in Justice Minister Tomas Borec on its agenda that was scheduled for Tuesday will ultimately not take place. Just like on the previous day parliament was not quorate twice on Tuesday. Of 83 lawmakers for the ruling SMER-SD only ten MPs were present in both attempts today to open the session. The opposition has 67 MPs and only one of its lawmakers could have been absent if they wanted to successfully open the session. Parliament has a quorum to start a session if an absolute majority of 76 MPs are present. However, in the first attempt 66 lawmakers registered while 11 opposition lawmakers did not come. In the second attempt 70 lawmakers were present while seven MPs from the opposition camp were absent. The opposition was hissing and shouting ‘Shame!‘ in parliament after the ruling party obstructed their session.
Following together four failed attempts to open the extraordinary session demanded by the opposition Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paska put the no-confidence vote in the justice minister on the agenda of the regular parliamentary session starting in December. Paska thus fulfilled his will as he stated earlier that the parliament should talk about the state of the judiciary only after lawmakers endorse the state budget. The ousting of the minister is ranked on the agenda just behind the state budget.
Justice Minister Tomas Borec should have been the first minister of the second Cabinet of Robert Fico to face a no-confidence vote in parliament. Opposition parties KDH, MOST-HID, and SDKU-DS filed the motion after the ruling SMER-SD on Wednesday last week blocked a debate at an extraordinary session of parliament on the state of the judiciary. Although they apparently have no chance of success with the no-confidence vote, in this way the opposition wants to force the debate on the judiciary in parliament.
Prime Minister and SMER-SD chairman Robert Fico says that the parliamentary session can start when all opposition MPs come to parliament. When all opposition MPs are in parliament, SMER-SD will supply enough of its MPs to achieve a quorum in parliament, he said. Speaker of Parliament Paska thinks that obstruction by SMER-SD is a normal and standard parliamentary tool.
KDH position to what SMER-SD did was worded strongest. According to KDH faction chief Pavol Hrusovsky, by blocking today’s extraordinary session to oust Justice Minister Tomas Borec, SMER-SD started dismantling representative democracy in Slovakia. „They are denying MPs the right to debate, control, but also propose solutions. If such arrogance of power as expressed through a parliamentary majority should continue further, I would have to express concern about the future political development in Slovakia,“ Hrusovsky commented.
SITA